Descent
by Durandall
Summary: Trying this again...  After the events of the manga, Ranma tries to move a plan forward to resolve those pesky romantic entanglements.  This will end well, right?
1. Prologue: One Bright Day

Descent - Prologue

One Bright Day

A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by Brian Randall

Disclaimers: The paints, as always, are the property of Takahashi Rumiko; I'm merely a peasant with an easel.

* * *

Sometimes I wonder what motivates me. It isn't really getting money that I find fascinating, as much as being able to toy with people. Cash is just a pretty trophy for my efforts.

But at the same time ... after Daddy's proclamation to Ranma and Akane, I thought it would be a good time for me to back off on that front. Those two can raise enough trouble without any of my help.

Of course, a thought and reality can be worlds apart.

XXX

I glance up from my magazine as Akane sits down at the table opposite me, leveling an annoyed look. Not quite a glare, and not the fierce pout she employs when she thinks I'm being unfair. But I can tell she's genuinely upset about something.

Oh well.

"What's up?" I ask, already figuring I knew the answer.

"Nabiki, I want to talk to you about the wedding." Not a whit of hesitation from that girl. Well, fine. If she thinks she's ready to marry Ranma, I'll stay out of the way this time.

"What about it?"

"You shouldn't have done that!"

"Oh? Okay. Sorry." I'm sure that won't cut it with Akane, but it should get her mad enough to get to the point.

Indeed, her face colors and she looks angry instead of merely annoyed. "Nabiki! You caused a lot of problems-"

"Which would have been worse if you went through with your plans and didn't deal with certain other problems first," I noted, cutting her off. "Make me out to be the villain all you want, the truth of the matter is it would have failed anyway. The only difference is that I was able to control the damage." And turn a profit, but that was an entirely separate point.

"Of course," Akane replies, less than fully convinced. "Nabiki, Ranma and I both want to get married. We would have been, if it weren't for you."

"You don't..." Of course she really believes that. And she might have been right. "Oh. Fine. What do you want me to do about it now?"

"I want you to help us get rid of Shampoo and Ukyou."

Is that all? At least she's actually addressing the issue instead of ignoring it. "Okay. Let me talk to Ranma and I'll see what we can do."

"He's in the dojo," Akane says, relaxing visibly.

Ah, my dear little sister. Shifting responsibility. Oh well, maybe things will really work out for them. And maybe they won't - I'm surprised at how little I care when I stop to think about it. Still, I don't want Akane to stay angry at me, so I get up and walk to the dojo.

Ranma's there, practicing like he usually is, going through a kata slowly with a look of intense concentration. "Having fun?" I ask dryly.

He glances at me and abruptly breaks from his form, stopping to towel himself off. "Sure," he replies. "What's up?"

"Akane tells me you want to marry her."

He flinches back, but doesn't deny it. After a minute of staring at me, he manages a tiny nod.

"I'll deal with Ukyou. You deal with Shampoo. Then we'll call our debts even. Sound like a plan?" Ranma didn't actually owe me anything at the moment, but I don't expect him to remember that kind of thing.

"W...well," he begins uncertainly. "I'm not sure if-"

"If you want to deal with your problems, they need to be dealt with," I warn him firmly. "Knowing you, you'll just let Ukyou push you around until you agree that you're still engaged to her, and then you're right back where you started. I'll deal with her. I'm confident you can handle Shampoo at least." Actually, it was more that I was confident that Ukyou wouldn't try and kill me no matter how much I might make her angry. I had no such assurances regarding the Chinese girl. Still, the sooner this was behind us, the better.

"O...okay," he says uneasily. "I guess I gotta talk to her and the old ghoul."

"You do that," I say, turning around and walking back towards the house. This situation will require a bit of planning, and I kind of wonder if I'm going to have to deal with Shampoo in the end, too. At least Ranma will keep her busy until I've got Ukyou handled.


	2. Laws of Love

Descent - Chapter One

Laws of Love

A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by Brian Randall

Disclaimers: The paints, as always, are the property of Takahashi Rumiko; I'm merely a peasant with an easel.  


* * *

I like the afternoons. They're the busiest part of the day, and give me the least amount of time to myself, but they're always the worst part of it. I suppose it's just that I like the feeling that I'm going to be done soon, and then no matter how bad it is ... I'll be free!

Free to be with my husband.

Sometimes, this isn't as reassuring a thought as I think it should be.

Lately he's taken to spending more time with that Japanese bitch at the Tendo house. I can't understand why - it's not like I'm not better in every way. Great-Grandmother always tells me to be patient, but I'm worried that patience won't be enough.

But what else can I do to show him that I love him? I'm at a loss... I tried to save him from a wedding to the bitch, but Great-Grandmother tells me this was a mistake. How can that be? He doesn't love her - he loves me!

Doesn't he?

XXX

I catch another plate as Great-Grandmother flings it in from the kitchen, setting it before the customer who ordered it. "Chinese fried rice," I offer by way of explanation, giving a bright grin I don't feel before going back into the kitchen. That's the end of the evening rush, and now it's time to take a break.

There will be stragglers, and then cleaning ... but that's for later. For now I go through the kitchen and into the living room behind it. Great-Grandmother joins me after a few moments, and we both sit on the floor in silence.

She speaks first, and says, "Shampoo, have you considered what happened at the Tendo home?"

I wish she would let me speak in Chinese. The language of Japan is crude and barbaric in comparison, and I hate it. "Yes, Great-Grandmother," I answer. "Husband is upset because Shampoo interfere with ... mistress?" Maybe that was it. I supposed that the bitch might at least be good in bed - that would explain some of it.

I couldn't see her offering Ranma much else.

Great-Grandmother snorts and shakes her head. "That's not it," she says flatly. "There would have been ways we could compromise, but I worry that you've crossed a line that Son-in-law may not be willing to overlook."

I'm not sure how to reply to that. Great-Grandmother has confused me since she's come to Japan, though. She's been supportive of my husband more often than myself. She also hasn't done much to help me get him to myself. I think it's time to find out why. "Why you not help me marry Airen?"

She actually looks surprised at the question! At first, anyway. Then she actually looks guilty - I don't like this, and it's starting to make me feel very nervous. "Well," she admits slowly, "I don't think that Son-in-law is the kind who reacts to being goaded or forced into things well. My plan was to simply show him how valuable we are to him, so that he can't imagine a life without you - married or not."

"Or not?" I ask, much more sharply than I intended to.

"Come now; you're already married to him by our laws. Making him add his own customs to that is a mere formality."

"But it show stupid kitchen-destroyer where she really is," I point out. That's important too. And of course... "Real husband would give Shampoo children; Airen will not without stupid Japanese wedding."

"I'm afraid there's something you're not seeing here," Great-Grandmother warns. "Love is a strange thing, Shampoo, but one thing it never is ... is forced. Not true love, anyway. If Son-in-law had less worth, it would be a simple thing to compel him to come to China with us."

I suddenly remember that it may actually be a good thing Great-Grandmother hasn't helped more. "Shampoo not want that."

"Of course not. You want him willingly. But you've blinded yourself to something, especially if you didn't see it at Jusendo."

Ah, yes. Jusendo. For a moment, the house around us melts away, and I see again Ranma rising on a wave of fire, the Gekkaja's glistening curve throwing a trail of scintillating ice behind it as he battles Saffron. Then I remembered his impassioned cries - both of them - as he threw a blade of cold wind down, shattering the foundations of Jusenkyou and rebuilding them to get to the source of the cursed springs faster.

And Great-Grandmother is right, but it hurts to admit; I've spent so long waiting, trying to be patient ... and it's gotten me nothing. He cried out for her when he thought she was dead. He implored the heavens and Jusenkyou to return her, his booming voice echoing across the vault of the chamber that he and Saffron had exposed to the skies. He told her that he wished he could have said...

How dare that bitch steal my husband like that! "No," I groan, rubbing at my eyes. "Airen would do same for me!" I wonder if this is true as I say it. I think it is, but a small part of my mind warns me that while he would ... he wouldn't feel so strongly about it. He wouldn't weep as long if he thought I had perished. He would voice no regrets for not admitting his love to me.

"Perhaps," Great-Grandmother replies neutrally.

"But the reversal jewel!" I protest. "Airen..." I'm not sure what else to say, then. He did love me, didn't he? He couldn't possibly just challenge me to string me along... Or was it that he saw me as the mistress, second to that stupid bitch?

I think that hurts worse, and the dull ache in my chest I've been trying to ignore since that failed wedding redoubles.

"Your impudence may have cost you much." Great-Grandmother looks pensive. "I'm loathe to let Son-in-law slip through our fingers at this point, but I don't think either of us want him as less than he is. If you'd been more patient, it would be a small matter to remind him who helped save Akane at Jusendo. Convincing her to accept you would have been harder work. But now I wonder if that's a choice."

"No," I reply reflexively. "I will not share Airen with kitchen-destroyer." And I can't; it's hard to imagine granting her second-place to me. But accepting that from her? Never. I want my husband to myself - I might share him with some other woman, maybe, but it would need to be clear that he was mine, first and foremost. The kitchen-destroyer wouldn't accept that either ... or if she would have, she won't now.

"I is doomed," I realize aloud quietly.

More than simply losing my husband to her, I was going to lose my right to go home. The shame of my failure would make me an outcast ... cursed and unwelcome.

"There are other ways," Great-Grandmother says darkly. I almost choke when I realize what she's suggesting. If Ranma will not take me, who will he sentence me to? Tears come to my eyes at the thought of a marriage to Mousse, rejected by Ranma.

"No," I whimper, wishing I could be a warrior and not a little girl. But it hurts ... it hurts so much to think that my husband would do such a thing. Fear quickly turns to anger. I'm strong - strong enough to take matters into my own hands if I must.

But it's not Mousse I'm angry at. He wants to marry me, but he wouldn't be the one making the choices. It's Great-Grandmother who I am furious with. "Why?" I demand. "Why you let this happen?" She understood what was going on well enough and simply never saw fit to tell me?

"Child," she says in a warning tone, "I tried to stop you. I arrived too late."

"Before!" I protest. I curse the Japanese tongue, and almost scream at her in our native Mandarin, but I restrain myself. Barely. "Why wait so long?"

She sighs and looks away. "I don't know," she admits. "I thought you understood. And... Well. Think not of what's lost, but what can be saved."

"What you mean?"

"While this is a failure, you're a young woman, and there's more to life yet, isn't there? I don't think you can hope to win Son-in-law now ... not from what I've seen. Oh, Akane's affection for him is less than his for her, but he's really the heart of the matter, isn't he?"

I nod, wincing. So Ranma loves Akane. And not me. I realize blaming my great-grandmother for not warning me is futile. It is not her I should be furious with - it's him. He has been stringing me along.

Somehow, the admission that he does not love me hurts worse than the fact that he chose that stupid, clumsy... Well, fine, then. He deserves her. I hope they suffer long together. "Revenge?" I ask, frowning. "If no husband, no shame?"

Great-Grandmother looks surprised. "I thought you loved him."

I do. She's right. But that doesn't make me any less angry! "What else I do?" I ask bitterly. "Wait for life to end as exile, or worse, marry Mousse? Shampoo not just wait for end! Must do ... something." But how could I really get revenge on Ranma? Akane's beyond my reach - and if I did anything to her, my life may as well be forfeit. He's well beyond my own strength.

Great-Grandmother might be able to do something, but I can already tell she's not willing. I stare at her for a minute longer, and then tiredly say in the Mandarin I'm not supposed to use anymore, "I give up. If I was going to guess it, I would have figured out your plan before his ... wedding."

She frowns. "Fair enough," she replies in the same tongue. "Fair enough. Well, anyway. I think it best at this point to wait for him to make a move. You're too shortsighted, Shampoo. What if he does marry that girl? She could get tired of him, and then-"

"I take second place," I reply with a roll of my eyes. "Oh, lovely, Great-Grandmother. The pride of our village can be Ranma's silver medal. What does it matter? He doesn't love me." It hurts less when I make myself say it.

But it still hurts.

She sighs again. "Well. You... Ah." For once the old woman looks unsure. I take some small comfort in that - at least I'm not the only one lost, so far from home.

XXX

The last few days have not been happy. Mousse has become more annoying, walking with a confident gait, like he knows something I don't. He continually smiles at me when he thinks I'm not looking at him - blind fool - and then tries to mask it.

Ranma has not come by once in that time, which may be a good thing. I wonder what he's up to, and the old feelings rise. Love, followed by the dull ache of rejection.

I wonder sometimes why I chased him all the way from China, and wasted so much of my time trying to win him over. Then I remember that it wasn't really my idea. It was the law. But despite that, I did love him. And still do, probably.

Whether he meant to or not, the Ghost Cat proved that Ranma was my true love. I don't know how he didn't see that.

Maybe that's what hurts the worst. Being pursued by a blind fool, and chasing one who can see even less. I find that while I still love Ranma, these days I don't think he's as smart as I used to. Clever, and good in a fight. Strong, of course. Willing to stand up for what he believes in.

Some part of my mind tells me I'm trying to make myself stop loving him, so the truth will be more bearable. If Ranma is stupid and ugly in my mind, perhaps I can ignore him and... And then what?

But there's no point. I look up to greet the customer who walks into the restaurant, and the words die on my lips.

It's not a customer at all.

It's Ranma.

He's wearing the same clothes he's almost always worn since coming to this country, Chinese shirt and pants. Yellow, today. I think that's her favorite color. I inhale shakily, unsure of what to say, and wondering what a spectacle I'm making of myself, standing and gawking... But I'm drawn into his gaze, those deep gray pools, reflecting determination and ... and...

I look away silently and close my eyes. That small part of my mind is right, but I cannot make myself stop loving him. He's just as beautiful as he was when I thought of him last, and I despair that I can never let him go no matter how angry he makes me. For a heartbeat, I wonder if he would accept me as a mistress, second to the bitch.

But no, I doubt I could be even that, now. The look he gave me was sorrowful. I saw no love or affection there. I force myself to smile and turn to look at him again; he has not moved, though his eyes still follow me. "Hello," I say, glad my voice is smooth and unshaken. "Table for one?"

He blinks at that and shifts his shoulders uncomfortably. "Not today," he finally says, looking away, staring into the kitchen where I'm sure Mousse is glaring daggers at whatever he thinks is Ranma. "I ... gotta talk to the ol' ghoul."

"Okay," I reply. A spark of anger bursts in my heart; he wants to talk to my Great-Grandmother? Am I now some child who cannot be spoken to herself?

I force myself to calm. Great-Grandmother had overestimated me. Maybe I was doing the same to myself. "This way," I add, turning to the kitchen. Mousse is indeed there, though he retreats when I begin marching towards the doorway. Coward.

I do not hear Ranma moving behind me, and he's hidden himself from my other senses for the moment. Habit, I wonder? Or have I simply let myself slip so much I can't keep track of him? I suppose it doesn't matter; he's not really my husband, now is he?

In the kitchen, Great-Grandmother doesn't look the least bit surprised to see Ranma enter. Mousse is gone from sight and I wonder why. "Go take care of the restaurant," she orders before Ranma can speak. "I think that Son-in-law and I will need to speak in private."

A surge of temper threatens to fray through my restraint ... but who can I lash out at? I couldn't fight either of them. It wouldn't accomplish anything anyway. I might hit Mousse, but that fool would probably think it was a gesture of affection.

I leave.

XXX

When the rush ends again, I return to the living room. Ranma is sitting there, cross-legged and deep in thought. Great-Grandmother sits opposite him on a cushion, looking grim and expectant, though she breaks off long enough to give me a hopeful smile.

Somehow, that helps even less. Her, of all people, only able to show hopefulness, instead of confidence?

"So," Ranma says, his eyes opening as he glances at me for a heartbeat, "you're sayin' that if I ... er ... go through this formal duel, that it's all off?"

I wince. Great-Grandmother is really giving up. I've been expecting this for almost a week, and trying to prepare for it, but there's not really a reason. My breath shortens as the sensation of a hot knife slashes through me; this is it. It's finally happening, and my husband, my lover, my... My nothing.

He's going to do away with me, and all I have left is to cling to a merciful sentence. I have no doubt that my grandmother has a list of potential husbands from the village. And of course, Ranma can name anyone else he knows, as punishment.

"More or less," Cologne replies slowly. "Honestly, we can do away with the combat. It's a formality, and I'm already confident that you can beat her." I realize that Cologne is conceding my role in any fight. For my own safety? Or just to spare me the pain of being rejected and beaten?

I sink to my knees and watch expectantly, remaining silent.

Ranma looks at me for a minute, then looks away. "S...so, okay. Then, what next?"

"You choose who she shall marry instead," Cologne says simply, with so much casual disinterest that I wince.

Ranma shifts his shoulders and grimaces, turning to stare at a vase of bamboo shoots near the doorway while he thinks. "W...what if I don't want to choose someone?" he asks warily.

I bite my lip at that, feeling my eyes fill with tears. The worst of all possible fates; I've been humiliated and now cast aside. Not just rejected, but wholly scorned. "H...have I been so terrible?" I manage to ask, realizing that it's the first thing I've really managed to say to him in a week.

"What are you talking about?" he asks in surprise. "I just... I was thinking... I mean-"

"A Joketsuzoku warrior who is rejected by her husband has no standing in our society," Great-Grandmother says, and now there's the slightest hint of anger in her voice. She stands up for my role among the Joketsuzoku, but my personal pride matters nothing to her or Ranma. How has it been allowed to come to this?

"What's that mean?" Ranma asked, still staring at the vase.

Great-Grandmother sighs. "If she has no standing, than she would have to marry even a Joketsuzoku male who beat her. She would be too weak to bring in an outsider, since it would be obvious that even a pathetic one could do her in." I feel tears trickling down my cheeks, and am surprised at it. It takes effort, but by biting my tongue, I keep quiet, wiping my eyes before Great-Grandmother can turn around and see.

"Like Mousse?" Ranma asked, furrowing his brow. Great-Grandmother nods.

Then he begins muttering, so quietly I can barely hear. He probably thinks I can't: "But he said she'd be happy..." He cuts off and shakes his head suddenly, but his words cause a warmth in my chest; is it possible that he does still care? Could this all be cleared away and forgotten?

I bite my lip, realizing that if he asks for me to be his second, even to the bitch, I will take it, just to be with him. How is it that he can undermine me so? He made me break the laws by proving me unable to kill him, once. I suppose my pride is not as weak as the laws, but it breaks, too.

"I gotta think about this," is what he finally says. "I'm sorry."

"That's fine," Great-Grandmother answers. "I'd be disappointed in you if you didn't."

"Y...yeah. Um, let's meet tomorrow to work this out at the challenge grounds. I gotta talk to Akane about it."

I flinch, but my anger at the bitch cannot overcome my willingness to be a second at that point, so I say nothing, still biting my tongue.

"The challenge grounds?" Cologne asks in alarm. "Why there?"

"A promise is a promise," Ranma says, shaking his head. "See you tomorrow."

Before anything else can be said, he flees. I could follow, I suppose, though if Ranma does not want me to find him, I will not. Great-Grandmother could do it better, but tonight she merely bows her head and sighs. I find that I don't want to ask her why.

XXX

Unable to sleep, I spent the entire night trying to guess what my one-time husband is going to do. I am not hopeful enough to continue calling him my lover, but I am too alone to not still hope a little. I cried, several times, to my shame. Rejection is staring me in the face, and this will spell failure on a scale much larger than merely receiving a Jusenkyou curse. I will not be killed, but I wonder how close I might be to exile.

When the morning comes around, Great-Grandmother recognizes my distraction, and leaves me alone to wonder. I practice with the rising sun, putting more heart and effort into swinging my maces than before. Afterwards, I drill unarmed until I can't see straight.

Then a comforting soak in the furo to try and sweat out my depression. But exhaustion and the warm water's comforting embrace are no match for the dread I know now. At noon, I go to the challenge grounds with Great-Grandmother.

The challenge grounds are merely an empty lot near Ranma's school; he has fought many other foes there, though I've only seen a handful of those battles. Ranma is already there. The bitch is not in sight, which I am grateful for, though Ranma's father is. The two stand at the southern edge of the field. Great-Grandmother and I arrive at the northern edge.

"O...okay," Ranma says uneasily, not waiting for Great-Grandmother to explain the terms. "I've thought about this for a while. I don't really get why I should be the one to choose, and I don't want to."

My eyes water with unshed tears; I am to be cast aside.

"S...so you reject her?" Great-Grandmother asks.

"No!" he says, shaking his head quickly. My heart skips a beat, and I feel I may choke. What is this? "I want her to choose who she marries."

"What?" Great-Grandmother is dumbfounded, and for a moment, so am I. "That's... That's simply not the way that this works, Ranma," she warns, catching herself. "You have responsibility, and you must live up to it. Who will you choose?"

"I choose to let her figure it out herself!" Ranma protests, shaking his head. "See, I don't know who else could make Shampoo happy. I don't think I should just pick someone, and while I think Mousse is pretty decent as a guy ... I know that Shampoo don't like him that much."

I nod quickly, still stunned.

"Be that as it may," Great-Grandmother says, shaking her head, "that is against our laws. You have defeated her, you must make a decision."

"Then... Okay, fine." Ranma closes his eyes and thinks for a minute. "Shampoo... When you find someone, send me a letter, or just come and ask me, and I'll say that whoever you choose is the one."

"Shampoo would choose you," I say, before I can catch myself.

He shakes his head quickly, glancing to his father for support. The bespectacled man is quietly considerate, apparently approving Ranma's course thus far. Ranma smiles weakly, and says-

"Saotome! You liar! Prepare to die!"

I can only gawk in surprise as Mousse leaps from behind one of the walls surrounding the lot. He must have been hiding in someone's yard, managing to sneak past Great-Grandmother! Not that it matters; I don't think for a heartbeat that Mousse can defeat Ranma. Not after what we've both seen at Jusendo. But Ranma is slower to react.

A swinging scythe on the end of a chain almost hits Ranma before he rolls out of the way, launching himself at Mousse's landing site before straightening himself out. The two collide, and Ranma's foot strikes Mousse's collarbone, knocking them apart. The man I wanted to marry gets back to his feet, watching Mousse warily.

Great-Grandmother and Genma both just watch, though I can't blame them if I don't do anything myself. "Mousse!" I yell, causing the fighters to pause and look at me. "You stop right now! Shampoo no want you attacking Ranma, stupid!"

"But, Shampoo," Mousse protests, "I was going to marry you!" He turns back to look at Ranma, while I shudder in revulsion. Was that Ranma's plan, after all? "Why did you betray me, Saotome?" he growls.

So he was going to give me to Mousse. But ... had something changed his mind? I turn to look at him, pleading him to explain himself with my eyes.

He flinches and then assumes a very steely gaze, focused on Mousse. "You said you'd take care of her," Ranma corrects. "I said that I wanted to be sure that after everything was done she'd be okay. I don't think she'll be happy with you."

I nod quickly, before Great-Grandmother raps me atop the skull with her staff. My eyes tear and start unfocusing while she hisses, "You can't speak of that, Great-Granddaughter. You've lost that right by our laws."

"What do you know?" Mousse spits. "I love her, which is more than you can say. I know that I can make her happy, and all you can do is destroy her honor!" With that, the two fly at one another, though this exchange is swifter, and much more brutal. Ranma allows one of Mousse's knives to sink into his upper arm, but in exchange, gets a firm grip on the back of my pest's neck. I flinch with the force Ranma uses to fling Mousse straight into the unyielding earth.

The semi-blind one bounces a little, then groans and lies still.

"Screw you," Ranma spits, growling. "The deal was that you were gonna make her happy, Mousse." He tears the knife out of his arm and tosses it away, wincing. Then he turns his gaze to me and says, "So, Shampoo... If the old ghoul don't like it, I'm gonna ask you to choose. You want to marry Mousse, or you want to wait until you find someone else?"

"S...Saotome," Mousse groans, before Ranma steps on one of his shoulders, pinning him in place. "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm somewhat curious myself," Great-Grandmother says. I can only nod numbly, afraid I'll get hit again. The laws leave me with little room to work.

"Because I owe her," Ranma says to Mousse, not meeting my eyes. "Because this is my fault, and I'd be lyin' if I said it weren't. I..." He hesitates, and turns to glance down the street, presumably towards that bitch at the Tendo dojo. But he's looking the wrong way, I think. Then he looks back at me and our gazes meet for just a heartbeat.

I see that I was wrong; there is affection in his eyes. And concern. And in the same space, I can see there's no hope for being second to that... To Akane. I can tell that he cares ... but not enough. Not now.

"I want to do what's best for you," he says to me earnestly, still pinning Mousse in place. "That's... It seems to me the least I can do."

He is trying, I suppose. He really is trying to make me happy, and does mean the best. He sentences me to losing face and class among my people, more by not choosing someone else to marry me, or definitively throwing me aside.

Then again...

I don't worry about Great-Grandmother as I step closer to Ranma, causing Mousse's feeble struggling to subside. "Shampoo doesn't want anyone," I whisper to him, close enough to reach out and touch him before I stop. "I will wait."

"I'll wait, too," he says, nodding. "Like I said. When you find someone, send me a letter or something. Then I'll say they're the one."

I smile at him, endearingly. He means that, but I won't find someone else. Not for a while, at least. I will be alone, but safe from some of the laws. And suddenly, thinking of how they've treated me, and him ... I realize that might be something I'd actually like.

My badge of shame; a parting gift from a lover I never had. Except...

"Shampoo thinks ... that maybe if there were no laws," I begin, before my voice cracks.

He shakes his head quickly. "But there are," he says sadly. "And... I'm sorry, Shampoo. I... I really messed up. Will ... you be okay?"

"Maybe," I answer. "One thing ... before we part?" I ask.

"S...sure," he says, nodding uncomfortably. "What is it?"

"Remember that I loved you," I say, not knowing why I did it. Before he can react I dart forward, entangling him in an embrace and kissing him soundly, deeply. I am not so fast that he couldn't have stopped me, so I know that even though he protests and makes as if to struggle, he wants it. He kisses me back, before seizing my shoulders and pushing me away.

I smile at him while he catches his breath, flustered and confused. "Bai lao," I whisper, turning my back to him.

That will be the last I see of him, I know. Great-Grandmother has no patience for these things, and won't have me wandering outside of the village with my new status. But that's okay.

I need to be closer to the heart of our laws if I'm to have any hope of changing them. And that goal, perhaps, will serve me where Ranma did not. I don't know if I can love trying to make my world a better place this way as much as I love him right now ... but we make our own futures. At least, thanks to Ranma ... I do.

"Take care of yourself," Ranma says firmly.

"We should not meet again," Great-Grandmother says coldly as I walk past her. "Even though she accepts it, you have chosen something that will make you very unwelcome near our lands."

"I don't see that as being a problem," Genma says, his first comment so far.

Great-Grandmother goes on about how Ranma and Genma will never be cured of Jusenkyou, but I ignore her, already heading back to the Neko-Hanten. If Great-Grandmother had been there at Jusendo, she'd know how silly her arguments sounded. I can only think about going back home, and focusing on a worthwhile quest. Great-Grandmother cuts herself off from berating Ranma and scurries to catch up with me.

Goodbye, Ranma... Goodbye, my love.  



	3. The Unspoken Message

Descent - Chapter Two

The Unspoken Message

A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by Brian Randall

Disclaimers: The paints, as always, are the property of Takahashi Rumiko; I'm merely a peasant with an easel.

* * *

I can't stop thinking about it. It was a mistake, right?

That's a thought that stays with me. Chases itself in circles around my head, allowing me to occasionally distract myself. But it always comes back to me, and this time when it does, I have to fake a cough to wipe away the tears that come to my eyes.

Because her sister is here. I don't hate Akane. I just hate that she's between me and Ranchan. The two of us could be great friends, if she didn't play along with her family and pretend to want to marry Ranchan. I know she doesn't...

...but maybe that's why Nabiki came? I shouldn't have done that, I shouldn't have...

"Tendo," I say, thinking that for once I've hidden the quaver in my voice. "What brings you here?"

Nabiki smirks, taking a seat. "I have some good news for you, Kuonji," she says after a moment. "I think it'll cheer you up quite a bit."

"Who says I need to be cheered up?" I ask warily. I don't trust Nabiki, not further than she could throw me.

"You looked down," Nabiki said with a shrug. "Anyway... Ranma sent Shampoo packing. Back to China."

"Really?" But he hasn't come to talk to _me_; he's not trying to send _me_ away. And if that's the case, then maybe it wasn't such a mistake after all?

Of course not. It was possibly the stupidest thing I could have done. Hell, I worked with Shampoo to do it, and Ranchan sent her to China!

"Really," Nabiki replies coolly. "In fact, to try and set things straight, I talked to Ranma."

"And?" I realize only after the fact that my face is an easy read to Nabiki. If she's trying to play me for a fool, she may have me exactly where she wants me. But it's true ... Ranchan and I haven't even talked since then. And that was three weeks ago.

My stomach is upset all the time, and I'm always afraid he's going to tell me how he really feels - that he hates me for what I've done. Shampoo being sent away makes that feel like it could be the truth.

Nabiki hesitates for a moment, then shakes her head. "Okay," she says. "Here." And then she reaches into her purse and produces an envelope, which she hands to me.

The handwriting spelling out my name is too neat to be his (sorry, Ranchan), and it looks like a girl's, anyway. "Who wrote this?" I ask, before opening it. The paper's white, and feels soft. It looks like high quality, expensive stuff. Very formal, anyway.

"Ranma's mother," Nabiki offers. "Well, you read that. I think I've delivered enough good cheer for one day."

"Okay. Um, thanks, Nabiki." I watch her out of the corners of my eyes and pretend to be totally absorbed in the envelope. She looks hesitant again for a moment, when she thinks I'm not looking, then gives a tiny shake of her head.

"Don't," she says quietly. "It was nothing, really." Then she's gone, and I open it.

The letter is beautiful, elegantly written, and Ranchan's mother has even drawn little bells tied together with a bow. It's an invitation to an engagement party.

For a minute, I think my heart stops. But when I frantically read the entire thing, I see that Akane's name isn't mentioned anywhere. And neither is Ranchan's stupid father's school. It's just got Ranchan's name on it ... and mine.

My heart stops again, then starts so hard that I sit down heavily. "I was right?" I mumble. "He..." I swallow and stare, reading it all over again.

But it's an invitation for me to go to Ranchan's engagement party.

Maybe I just did what Ranma wanted? Maybe I didn't do something wrong, after all?

XXX

The party is going to be held at a pretty swanky establishment uptown; I have to take a train to get there. But before I arrive, I've made sure I look my best. With Konatsu's help, I picked out a new dress, I put up my hair, and I think I'm ready.

He thinks I'm cute... He has to, or he wouldn't have invited me!

Then I remember that it was Nabiki who gave me the invitation. I still haven't actually talked to Ranchan ... so that upset feeling doesn't go away. What if I'm wrong? Nabiki gave me that invitation three days ago, and I must have read it a hundred times by now, but it doesn't tell me any more.

So I arrive early and look it over. Big building, huge, expensive looking mural on the outside... Classy. I don't think that Ranchan picked it out. It doesn't really seem that romantic to me either.

There's a man in a suit at the door who asks me for my invitation. I wish my father were still around to take me to this, and not just because I think he'd be happy. It would reassure me to know I still had him.

But I don't; all I have is Ranchan.

The invitation gets me sent to the bar to wait for the hall that the Saotome family is going to be using. That has to be good; if it were for Ranchan and Akane, her family would pay for it. Ranchan's kind of poor, though that's never bothered me. I could make enough for both of us, if I had to.

But Tendo seems to be wealthy. I mean, he owns that big house and doesn't work, as far as I can tell. If Ranchan's worried about money, I may not have as much as Tendo, but I can get us by.

After a few minutes, I glance around. I don't really know much about this kind of place, but there's a few people around who are all dressed well. I'm glad I chose a new dress instead of a kimono; no one else is wearing anything traditional, either. But they do look nice.

I hope I look good enough for Ranchan.

When the man behind the bar asks me what I want, I tell him water. I don't think I could keep anything else down, right now.

Another man sits next to me. A tall man with his hair slicked back, wearing an immaculate blue suit. "Hello," he says with a grin, making a small gesture at the bartender.

The bartender gives the other man a reproachful look, but wordlessly hands him a glass with some golden liquor in it.

"So, you come here often?"

"This is my first time," I answer. "My fiancee is supposed to meet me here."

"You're in the engagement party?" he asks, his smile widening. "Congratulations, Tendo-san."

I open my mouth to ask him what he's talking about - I am most certainly _not_ a Tendo - when I look towards the lobby, to one side of the bar. There's Ranchan!

He's dressed up, too, and for a moment, everything the man was talking about vanishes from my mind, and all I can see is him. Even more handsome than he was in the suit at that stupid wedding; he's wearing something less formal, but still very nice. It's a white silk shirt with short sleeves, and as I watch he pauses, one hand rubbing his upper arm.

Just as I'm about to call out to him and jump down from the stool I've been perched on, I see her and my heart stops again.

There, right behind him, surrounded by her family and his, is Akane. "No," I gasp out. The man in front of me glances towards Ranchan, then back, raising an eyebrow.

"...feels like something is missing, is all," Ranchan says, in response to something I didn't hear.

Oddly, I can't keep my eyes on him. They keep sliding past to stare at her. Only ... not her, but her _sisters_. Nabiki looks just the slightest bit tired and worn. Kasumi though... Kasumi looks upset. Her mouth is compressed to a thin line, and she tugs on Tendo Soun's shirtsleeve like a child trying to get her parent's attention. He dismisses her in the same way, and though I can't hear it, I can see his lips. "Not now," he says, ignoring her.

"Father," she hisses, loud enough for me to hear. "This is important!"

"It can wait until after the party," Soun says insistently, when everyone turns to look at Kasumi. "Come, enjoy yourself! The schools will finally be united!"

"But-"

"No objections," Soun says with a brilliant smile. "Akane and Ranma are going to be married, and today we're going to celebrate!"

Kasumi looks like she's swallowing something particularly disgusting, but she manages a stiff nod and says something back that I can't catch. Probably something like, "If you insist."

Soun does, though, so that's the end of that. "Now," the man says brusquely, clapping a hand on Ranchan's shoulder, and another on Genma's, "I think we're all here, aren't we?"

"Nabiki did ask me for one more invitation," Nodoka murmured with a frown.

"What?" Soun looks confused. "I only made reservations for seven."

"We're all here," Akane says quickly. "Come on, Ranma!"

Then she holds out her hand, looking at him expectantly. He smiles at her, and it feels like time slows down. The blood going through my heart doesn't stop this time, it just feels like it's turned into shards of glass.

I cover my mouth and whimper. The man in front of me seems to sense my discomfort and puts one hand on my back, pushing me towards the bar. I lean forward and both families vanish behind his coat, just as Ranma seemed about to glance my way.

"Hey," the man says gently, quietly. "Are you okay?"

I nod, though I think he can tell it's a lie. He offers me his handkerchief and I take it, realizing that tears are running down my face. "Hey," he says, nodding at the barkeep. "Double whiskey neat for the lady here."

The bartender grumbles, but pours the drink

"Thanks," I manage. After I pick up the glass, hand shaking, someone approaches.

"I'm sorry," the man who had sent me to the bar in the first place says. "There appears to be some confusion. I'm afraid the Saotome party has all of their recorded guests." He says it in that, "And you should go, now," way that I've used on a couple of customers myself.

Before I can say anything else, the man who bought me the drink snaps, "Leave off," shooting the doorman a dirty look. "She's with me."

"I'm sorry," the doorman says apologetically, looking at the stranger with a nervous, sidelong glance. "I misunderstood." Then he's gone, and I'm alone with my drink and a friendly stranger.

"Kampai," he says softly, raising his glass slightly. I nod and clink my own glass against his. It must be the same drink ... they look the same, at least. It tastes foul, but I make myself drink it down anyway. It's not like Ranchan's going to...

And then the tears start again, and my new friend helps me up, guides me to a booth in the corner, and glares at everyone who stares. "It's going to be okay," he assures me, grinning. "Just tell me about it, huh?"

Before I can stop myself, I'm sobbing out my entire story. But while I'm talking to him, I feel ... numb. It hurts - it hurts more than I thought it could. I realize as I'm talking to him, occasionally downing another of those nasty drinks, that what hurts the most is that he never even bothered to tell me about it. That's what I was worth to him - less than nothing. Not even worth the time to tell off.

I spent a year in love with him, ten chasing him for vengeance, and another year trying to win his heart. I've spent more than half of my life on this boy, and what do I get in return? Total indifference.

So I understand why, as much as it hurts, I still feel numb about it. I finish catching up, somewhere around drink number six, though things are getting fuzzy then. "I just wanted someone to love me," I tell my friend. "Someone who cared!"

Everything is dreamy, hard to see. But it's okay, now. My stomach may still hurt, and my head may be swimming ... but I'm not alone.

"It's not as bad as it could be," my friend says warmly. "And your life is hardly over. What's happened to you happens to a lot of girls... Life is not nearly as pretty as you are. So you fell in love with a jerk, but it's not the end of things. You still have a bright future ahead of you!"

"I do!" I say, nodding quickly, and then stopping. The room is spinning too much for me to keep nodding. "I do?"

"Certainly! Look, I don't normally do this, but I can help you out."

"You can?" I can't remember ... do I need help? I must; Ranchan... Ranma. Ranma isn't there for me anymore. If he ever was.

"Just let me take care of you," he says, nodding. "I direct movies. I could make you a star!"

"A star?" I frown at that, then think about it a bit more. A movie star makes a lot of money. If I were a star, I'd be rich and famous. And that'd show Ranma what he was missing out on! "Okay," I agree, risking another nod.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Let's drink on it." He motions, and another round is brought for each of us. After I drink mine, things get dark for a while. I think my friend is holding my hand. But he can't be, because I think he's smoking a cigarette. I think I'm walking. For a while, I think I'm throwing up on the street. I think I'm in a room... I don't know. Does it matter?

When things come back, I'm still dizzy, but it's like a dream... My friend can take me from a bar to a shower. Bing! Magic.

He's not there - I guess it's a hotel shower... I've got something nasty on my dress. I guess I did lose it. That must be why I'm here. So, I take it off, and realize I got some in my hair, too.

I take a shower, and leave my dress on the floor. There's a robe on the back of the door, and I don't care about a dress I bought just for Ranchan. Ranma.

Doesn't matter. I got a new friend now.

The steam from the shower makes me dizzier, so I open the door and stumble into a hotel room. My friend is there and leads me to the bed. "Here," he says, sitting me down. "You rest. I'll be back in a bit."

The television's on, so I flop down on my back and roll over to watch it. He's gone, and I hear the shower running. A cigarette he left on the bedside table's ashtray smokes... And then I see the television.

Haha! My friend is a pervert! He forgot to change the channel; it's something naughty. I watch it, unable to keep myself from giggling. Only, after a minute, it's actually worse than just naughty...

Something about this doesn't feel right, but I'm too dizzy to figure it out. Then he comes back, steam from the shower emerging in a billowing cloud, pushing the last of the smoke away. I sit up on the bed, and it takes a minute to realize my robe fell open. I tug it back into place, and he sits next to me.

"Are you going to take care of me?" I ask, suddenly nervous.

"I promise," he says with a nod, giving me a warm smile. "I'll help you reach as high as you think you can."

Then one of his hands pulls open the robe I just tugged back into place, and the next thing I know he's kissing me, and he's touching me, and I'm doing it back to him... Who needs some idiot, when there're better people? People who know you're worth something? People who aren't afraid to show that they care?

Then he turns out the lights and our robes fall away. Then it hurts for a while, but I don't want things to start going wrong so quickly, so I pretend it's good, and then we do it again, and finally, I fall asleep.

XXX

When I wake up, my stomach hurts - again. But this is a new way to hurt. The light is too bright. My head hurts. I think I'm going to be sick.

I get up, go to the bathroom, and throw up in the toilet. After a shower, I find I've got nothing to wear but my stained dress and the hotel's robes.

Damn. Damn it all.

Where is my friend now, if he was even a friend at all? Just like me - throw everything away in a moment of drunken self-pity. What does he leave me with? A filthy dress, and a pack of cigarettes.

Someone pounds on the door, yelling, "Your time is up! Either get out, or pay up!"

"Just a minute!" I yell back. I still have the tiny purse that I got with my dress, but it's empty. I didn't think I'd need any money at...

Ran- Ranma.

What the hell did I do? "Oh, no," I groan. From one screw-up to another...

Whoever he was, all I've got to know him by is a pack of cigarettes he left on the bedside table. It goes into the purse, and since there's nothing else to wear, I climb into the damn dress.

Then, since my day has already started off so well, I glance out the room's window. Fifth floor. No balcony.

"What the hell," I sigh, and open the window. I don't want to deal with this...

XXX

By the time I get back to my own place, Konatsu has been freaking out for a while. He starts crying over me as soon as I show up. "Calm down," I snap at him. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Ukyou-sama!" he wails. "I was so worried about you!"

"Why?" I ask closing and locking the door behind me. I don't think I want to open today.

"You..." He trails off. "You didn't come home last night," he says, forcing himself to still, kneeling in the corner like some dutiful servant and bowing his head. A servant is the _last_ thing I need right now.

"And what, you're my mother?" I ask. "Leave me alone."

He doesn't say anything, just bowing his head lower. In my room, I shut the blinds, change into a clean robe, and flop down onto my futon. I just want the whole world to go away.

I get dumped by Ranma... And now, _after_ I've managed to let some idiot get me drunk and take advantage of me - it really starts to hurt. He's out of my reach, and if he weren't, I'd be too dirty for him anyway.

Shit.

I hope that jackass didn't knock me up.

Just thinking about it makes me tremble. But can I really blame Ranma? He didn't hate me. He didn't even dislike me.

He just didn't care. Didn't even notice.

So I did this to myself.

"Ukyou-sama," Konatsu murmurs through the door. "If... If you want to talk about this-"

"Go away!" I yell. "I don't! And not to you! Leave me alone!"

He protests through the door, "But-"

"Leave me the hell alone, you moron!" I snarl. "You don't know what's going on, so go away!"

"Ukyou-sama," Konatsu says, his voice near tears. He thinks he's got something to cry about? "I'm worried about you. I saw the way that you... I mean..."

My face goes cold. He can tell just by the way I walked? I'd heard that, somewhere. That some people could tell, just by that. So now the whole world knows what I did?

"Go away!" I scream. "I never want to talk to you again!"

"But-"

I throw open the door and Konatsu's kneeling there at the top of the stairs. One good kick sends him all the way down to the floor. "Go away and die, for all I care! I just want to be alone!"

The door slams on him and I throw myself onto the futon again, crying. Stupid, useless tears. Stupid, useless words. Stupid, useless Konatsu.

Stupid, stupid, useless Ukyou.

XXX

I feel a little better when I wake up. I've had time to rest, I suppose. But I'd give anything to go back in time just twenty-four hours, and undo them.

Anything.

When I get downstairs, I'm alone. My shop is quiet and empty.

Konatsu is gone. Konatsu's things are gone. Not that he had many.

"Oh, damn," I whisper. "Konatsu?"

Something else I did wrong. Now that I think about it, I seem to be really good at that.

I don't want to talk to strangers. I don't have many friends. It's not like I can talk about this to the other okonomiyaki chefs I know, either. They don't even know I'm a girl, except for Occhan, and he moved to Hawaii last month.

Now that I think about it, I don't have any friends except for Konatsu. And Ranma and Akane.

I guess that means I really don't have any friends, now.

And of course, I get to blame myself for that one, too. If it wasn't for me thinking that someone as stupid as Ranma could care... But of course, he couldn't.

Idiot.

Then again, I believed in him, so who's the bigger fool?

Hands shaking, I collect the dress and the purse and the underwear I wore... Then I toss them into the fire barrel in the alley behind my shop. Foom.

But not before I take those cigarettes from the purse.

I spend a little time after sunset thinking about it.

Why not add one more mistake to my collection?

XXX

Cigarettes taste bad. At least, these did. And I don't know if there's an art to smoking, or anything like that. But it can't really be that bad for you. I mean, Happosai and Cologne have to be a hundred at least, and they both smoke.

And it makes me feel dizzy, too, but not like drinking did. And for a while, once I learn to ignore the taste, it makes me feel a little better. For a while, anyway.

But it's too late to open. And I don't want to deal with people.

So I sit behind my grill, in my empty little shop, and think.

And think.

But I can't think of what I should do. I can only think of what I did wrong.

XXX

A lot of time to think can be a bad thing. Thoughts eat away at you, when you let them.

I don't know why people say smoking is bad for you. It gives you something, when you don't have friends. It reminds you that it's easy to feel good, and that feeling good doesn't actually mean anything.

And a pack of cigarettes doesn't leave you in the lurch the next morning.

But thinking...

So I had a few days to think things over. I tried opening the shop for a bit, but it was different. I used to have a drive to be a great okonomiyaki chef. I used to want to marry Ranma, too.

Once, I chose learning how to make good okonomiyaki over Ranma. Until I could both be a great woman _and_ a great okonomiyaki chef. Now I'm not sure I care.

I'm an okay chef, and I guess I'm okay at being a girl - I slept with someone. But what does it matter?

So now I'm looking out at the city. And maybe I've had something to drink - it's not hard to get alcohol even underage, really. You could just find a shady shopkeeper, or you could go to a vending machine.

Or if you run a restaurant like I did, you could just order it. Deliverymen assume you're someone's daughter, and don't mind letting you sign for whatever you order, even if it's a large case of potent sake.

I don't like cooking okonomiyaki anymore. It used to be for myself, but I gave that away. To someone, whoever he is.

Asshole.

At least it wasn't Ranma.

Not that it'd make a difference; if it was him, and then he left me for her, I'd still be here.

The city lights below are like stars, which is good. It's cloudy, and I don't see any real stars. No moon to look down on me.

Screw it.

Screw everything.

I jump.

The wind rushes past me and I close my eyes.

I hope you're happy, Ranma. It may be my fault more than yours, but you had a role in this, too.

Jackass.


	4. A Relative Distance

Descent - Chapter Three

A Relative Distance

A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by Brian Randall

Disclaimers: The paints, as always, are the property of Takahashi Rumiko; I'm merely a peasant with an easel.

* * *

I don't know if there's such a thing as a 'danger sense', but it seems to me that you can end up telling when things are going to go wrong. Pops says that a martial artist constantly surveys his surroundings and lets himself know on an unconscious level that something's up.

So I wasn't exactly surprised.

The thing of it is, just 'cause you can tell something's wrong doesn't mean you know what it is. I mean, there were enough things that didn't add up to tip me off, but I didn't know what it was. I could tell it was going to be big, though.

Sending Shampoo off to China... I think I handled that as best I could. I felt good about it, too. I mean, she kissed me, she smiled... That's all the way it should be, right?

Sure, Cologne's pissed at me, and I'm cursed forever. But I've gotten used to it. I mean, I wouldn't mind, but it's not like it's the end of the world. Just add hot water.

An easy fix, and an easy adjustment. Now, anyway.

But I was worried about Ucchan. Still, me and Nabiki made an agreement, and I figure, Nabiki's way better at talking to people than I am, so I might as well trust her. But I kinda hoped that Ucchan would be there. I asked Mom, and she said that she'd written up an invitation special, just for her. Nabiki delivered it.

Only, the thing is when we get there, she ain't around. Maybe she's still upset? Maybe Nabiki forgot? But I don't want to mention it around Akane. She gets angry enough when I try to talk about Shampoo - so that's out.

Nabiki's all quiet and distracted, like she's looking out for someone. And that makes me think that maybe Ucchan's just late. But I don't ask. Pops told me how important this whole thing was for Akane, so I don't want to blow it by upsetting her.

Old-man Tendo seems cool enough, and I don't think I've ever seen him so happy. Akane's quiet and radiant...

But yeah, I can feel something's wrong. The giveaway is the fact that Kasumi looks like she's been sucking on lemons all day. I hardly ever see her not smile, but today she's unhappy.

Mom and Pops are fine, though. Akane looks happy.

So I try not to worry about it.

It's when we get home that I feel something's really wrong. Akane and Kasumi go with Old-man Tendo into the dojo, and leave us hanging in the living room. I watch the T.V. while Nabiki and Mom small talk about the wedding. Pops seems ready to drift off, which is way too relaxed for me. But I guess it's all jitters, or something. I heard about those.

Then Old-man Tendo comes in with Kasumi behind him - Akane's not there - and he says that he's gotten us a place to stay. We'll be better off there, and can go and have more space right away. He hopes we'll be happy with that. And honestly, I don't care what he says, or how he feels - I'm trying to figure out what's actually wrong. What gets me here is something I think would get anyone.

See, halfway through his spiel, Mom interrupts him and holds up a hand. Pops wakes up from his nap, and she says, "Excuse me, Tendo-san ... what is this all about?"

Kasumi looks sick. Old-man Tendo looks sick. Nabiki just looks confused, like she hasn't figured it out yet. And if she doesn't know what's going on, I'm clueless. So I sit there on the floor and wait. While I'm waiting, Akane peeks through the back door, but doesn't come in. And she looks sad, and I want to look at her, but my eyes keep going back to Mom, and anyway, Akane won't look at _me_.

Finally, Kasumi says, "We firmly believe in what is proper, Saotome-san. And, as is proper, before Akane or Ranma-san could possibly be wed, we had an investigation - a proper one this time, since Father's rush prevented it last time."

She leaves it hanging there like that. I don't get it.

"Investigated what?" I ask, feeling stupid.

"Well," Kasumi says, looking at me with a kind of pitying look ... and believe me, a pitying look from Kasumi leaves you feeling lower than a worm. "Ranma-san, you are descendant from... That is... It would be most proper to say that you are mura-no-mono. I'm sure you understand-"

And that's as far as she gets. 'Cause that's when Mom totally flips out. I got reflexes, so I owe Pops for this one. When the sword is out and swinging for me, I roll out of the way. "What the hell?" I manage to ask.

And Mom looks pissed. Her eyes are practically _glowing_ with fury. I feel like part of my whole world just got ripped away. Me? An eta? No one ever told me! Maybe it was just some mistake? This was crazy - things were happening too fast.

But then she turns on Pops. "You bastard!" she screeches. "You promised me! You swore a contract on your _life_ that no one would find out!" Then she goes after him, and all I can do is stand there.

I mean, seriously.

This kind of crap can't happen to anyone else. I just won't believe it - somehow, I got the bad-luck magnet to end all bad-luck magnets. Then again, I'm good about rolling with the punches. It could be worse. Pops ducks out of the way, and I turn to him, thinking, 'Hey, he's gotten us into tight spots before, but usually he gets us out of 'em, not too much worse for wear.'

Only this time, he just says, "Run for it, Boy!"

So ... we run.

Upstairs, he grabs his pack, I grab mine ... sure. Why not? An escape until this all blows over - that's the perfect thing. The ultimate technique, and this is damn sure the time to use it. No reason to hang around someone who's swinging a sword at you, even if it is your own mother. There's crazy, and there's stupid.

Just, is this something that _can_ blow over? It has to - Pops will know who set us up and how we can fix this.

A few minutes later we stop beneath a bridge, and Pops sighs and starts setting up camp. Like it was nothing to worry about. So, why should I worry about it that much? He's got to have a plan. We ate fine at the reception, so we just set up and sit there for a bit in the quiet, listening to the water.

We don't usually talk that much when we're alone. No need to.

"Well," he says, standing up and dusting his hands off on his pants. "We should get some sleep."

"Wait," I complain. "You're not going to say anything about that crap? Whoever it is that set us up?"

Pops just shrugs like it's no big deal. "I wouldn't worry about the Tendo family or your mother anymore," he says confidently.

Now, I know Pops, and I know he's a champion liar. But I also know enough to tell when he's really worried, and the thing that blows my mind about this is that he doesn't look upset at all. Perfectly calm, not worried ... got everything under control.

So he's got to have a plan, and he won't let me in on it. Sometimes Pops can be a real jerk.

But this is Akane we're talking about - and... Hell, after everything else I did for Akane already, the last thing I need is this garbage, even if it is temporary. What about my reputation? How am I supposed to get students for the dojo once I inherit it with something like that on my record? "I want to know what's going on here!" I yell at him, grabbing the front of his gi. "Come on, Pops! Akane's got to be all kinds of freaked out about-"

He stops me not by attacking me, or trying to start a fight - right then I'm tense enough I would have leapt for it. "Boy," he says, in that 'calm down, I'm going to say something smart for once' tone I've got from him maybe five times in the last three years. "I want you to think about what Akane _did_ when she heard."

And that kills the conversation for the night. I spend a lot of time stewing it over, and don't get to sleep until late.

At least Pops didn't snore that night.

XXX

In the morning, when Pops is gone, I start thinking about things some more.

He left me all of my stuff, which was pretty decent of him.

And he left me a message, though, it wasn't written or anything. I could just tell. He said...

It's not a setup. It wasn't a mistake.

If it were a fluke, he wouldn't have ditched me.

So I spend the rest of the day beneath the bridge, just sitting there and thinking. Pops always did move around a lot. He always seemed happier when we were traveling. When we went on our trip, I think he liked leaving Japan the best.

He was almost always laughing when we got to Korea. Russia didn't dampen his spirits too much either, though he always loved China best.

I figured it out. Because there, no one could know we were mura-no-mono. He never told me, so I couldn't screw it up - I guess he made the right choice there, even if everything did get screwed up in the end.

That's just a hell of a thing to find out. Figuring out what to do is even harder.

Around the time the sun is setting, I've spent the entire day pacing around beneath the bridge, just thinking. Trying to think. It's a lot to wrap your head around.

But, hell. I killed Saffron for Akane. Then this comes up and, what, Pops ditches me overnight? My stomach starts to hurt, and I realize I haven't eaten all day. I start thinking of the Neko-Hanten, before I remember. That's out, and if everything goes to hell, China's out too.

Ucchan's got to know by now, so that's no good. And that means I got nothing left at all.

Except Akane, right? So, tired, hungry, and feeling pretty damn lousy in general, I go over to check things out. I guess her family doesn't want much to do with me, but Akane's got to feel different.

XXX

When I get there, it's full dark. The Umisen-ken may be sealed, but if I'm mura-no-mono, I don't think a little thing like my word should slow me down. No one else will value it, so why should I?

I came up with a plan, working my way to the dojo. First, I'll find Akane, and we'll talk. I'll square things away, and then we'll blow the whole damn country off. No real reason to stay anyway, right?

Only, it doesn't work that way. I spend ten minutes just sitting on the wall outside of the house, trying to think about what the hell I'm going to say. It doesn't help that from where I'm sitting I can see her. And she doesn't look broken up, or upset, or anything but tired and bored. Maybe a little disappointed.

And ... Pops' words kind of haunt me. So I just sit there and think, and watch Akane. I spent my entire day thinking about her, and the first thing I hear her say from where I am is, "What's the weather tomorrow, Kasumi?"

Damn it. I ran after the wrong person, didn't I?

Just like me... All I got is nothing - except for an urge to find Pops and beat the snot out of him. I may be mura-no-mono, but if I got it from him, where the hell does he get off ditching me?

Hey, mura-no-mono means 'people of the village', right? So if this place isn't my home, maybe I'd better find where it is.

XXX

Pops didn't leave many clues behind, but when I packed up what he left me with, I did find a small stack of cash. Not a ton, but with the sen-kens, I guess it'll never be a big issue anyway. So for the first week, I try and remember the way we went when I was little.

The long trek away from Tokyo... It's funny. The first part I remember really clearly is meeting Ucchan. I guess I should probably call her Ukyou, now. Or maybe Kuonji-san.

That feels way too formal, and it's not like she's talking to me. But hell, if the Tendo family and Mom get so worked up about it, someone from western Japan would probably flip out way worse.

So after a while I find myself wandering through the fields where I used to duel for okonomiyaki with Ucchan... Ukyou... Ah, whatever. I guess to me she'll always be Ucchan, no matter what she'd call me if we talked. She lived around here when I met her, so I guess she probably came back after she found out about me.

And I guess I'm kind of hoping that I'll run into her and it won't be a big deal. But I'm not hoping enough to go after her, either. Then again, it's not like I even tried to talk to Akane. First things first - finding Pops.

I end up wandering for a long while, all over. I find the spot where Ucchan and I used to play as kids. Where Pops watched over us, or sometimes her dad, when he was off... Off where, now that I think about it? He did leave me with her dad a few times. He always left to the north, so that's where I head.

Sure enough, a few miles out I find a whole buraka village. Looks like it's left over from one of those government reformation projects, only someone gave up halfway. Not a single building in the lot of maybe a hundred isn't seriously messed up from where I stand. Holes in the walls, broken windows, doors busted completely off...

Depressing as all hell to realize that these are _my_ people. I'm one of them. But then again, I've seen other buraka villages, and they aren't all as messed up as this one. Pops came here, though. Or I think he did. I _hope_ he did.

Anyway, most of the town's set up in a big circle, and everyone looks at me like I'm an outsider. Some part of me isn't ready to say, "Hey, brothers and sisters, I'm dirty too," so I just look away and walk on.

When I think about it, that makes me a huge asshole. But I don't care about these people, even if they _are_ really my people. I just care about Pops. And Akane, I guess. I mean, I got to talk to him before I can talk to her. And I do plan on talking to her.

But in the middle of the town is a couple of dirty buildings, and one of them lets me know that Pop's inside. Whoever it is he was fighting flies out and slides past me in the dirt, and then I hear him laugh. So I know I'm in the right place.

When I get in, he's sitting at a table against the back wall, with at least fifty empty bottles scattered around. They're not all his, I can tell he's being free with 'em and all the guys and girls sitting around, cheering him on. So I storm over, and I'm ready to give Pops hell and tear him a new one, and none of these people have even noticed that I'm there, and then some girl that's leaning over Pops says, "Are you going to _stay_ home this time, Daddy?"

"Yeah," he says, setting down his bottle of sake and looking me in the eye. "You looking for my son, stranger?"

And it's the damnedest thing ... that girl is younger than me by about five years, I'm guessing. And she's just a kid ... so who am I to say, "Sorry, I need Pops back, and it looks like he's only going to help one of us out," you know? She's still a person, and she's got her own family ... Pops, I mean.

Genma, I guess, if that's how this is going to play out. And maybe he did the right thing choosing her over me.

Damn.

"Looks that way," I answer. "I heard..." And then I pause, because everyone looks at me like I don't fit in - like these _aren't_ my people after all, and I see what Pops is really up to.

"You heard he was a living legend," Genma says proudly, grinning. "He went to China and fooled those 'clean' people in Tokyo for the better part of a year! Lived the good life, learned a lot ... and now he's going out to do it again, huh?"

"I didn't hear all of that," I say dryly. "Just the first part."

"Well, he isn't here," Genma says with a shrug. "This isn't his home."

"Oh."

Then there's nothing to say for a minute, and he tosses an unopened bottle at me. "You won't drink sake that's been through my hands," he says, "but give this to my son when you find him."

"Yeah," I say, nodding. "I think I'll do that."

And that ... is the last time I plan on talking to my father.

Don't that just beat all?

XXX

So I spent a while wandering... A quick trip down to Sasebo, which is about as far south as you can wander casually. It was also where Pops and I originally left to China from, which pretty much means I can't go much further west, either. Anywhere else is going to take a boat or a long swim, and I don't feel like losing myself in the Ryu-Kyu islands for a few years right now.

Maybe I can pull a Ryouga later.

So that's when I loop back to the north along the coast, running a big lap around the island. Super endurance training, I guess.

Doesn't take long, and I make sure to only steal from jerks and people who won't notice - usually they're the same ones, anyway. So by the time Tokyo rolls back around in front of me, I've had some time and space to burn off my anger. And it's not like I could take it out on Genma. He spent his entire life ... well.

He spent my entire life looking out for me, if I realized it or not. And the real kicker about it all is that I can't really complain too much about the curse, either, 'cause that just makes it easier to hide. 'Course, I still got problems. I don't know who I am anymore. I'm not Genma's son.

I'm _not_ a burakamin. So I'm just some homeless wandering martial artist. Who happened to return to Tokyo, the one place I probably shouldn't ever have gone to.

But I figure, as long as I'm there, I'll just hide all the time - stick with the Umisen-ken. And that's mostly what I do. But I'm not stupid. I don't go to Furinkan. I don't go looking for Akane. I know that wouldn't do any good now, anyway.

And while me and Genma traveled a lot, we never met that many people. I do wonder what the old pervert's take on this whole thing would be, but I figure it's probably best not to ask. It'd be way too easy for him to screw me over, and he can be malicious enough sometimes to do it. Not worth the risk.

The plan is to avoid anyone I know at all.

After that, I'm the freest person in the world.

So ... why am I here?

Only, I know that. It's 'cause I'd give it all away if I could just have had Akane. And that's when the tears hit me.

Saotome Ranma, man among men, doesn't cry.

And he can go screw himself, because whoever I am, I sure hurt when it all comes together for me.

XXX

So by the time I wake up, I'm thinking that first, I gotta get out of town. Second, I've got to throw away that bottle that Genma gave me. Still unopened, but I can't bring myself to drink it.

Then I realize there's someone sitting next to me. I figured, hey, who's going to find me on the top of a twenty-story building? I'll tell you who.

Konatsu.

"What do you want?" I ask him, rubbing my eyes and fumbling around for my canteen.

"I need to ask you for help," he says tiredly.

And once I finish waking up, I have to say: he looks like I feel. "You look like crap."

"Ranma-sama," he says, bowing low, kneeling on the ground with his forehead pressed against that cruddy roofing stuff they put on high-rises. "I have to beg you for help!"

"You don't got to beg me for nothing," I tell him back with a growl. "And stand up. You're a man, aren't you? And anyway, I'm not..." A pause. Gotta think about this for a second. "What do you know about what's going on right now?"

Konatsu sits up and kneels, while I'm packing up my stuff. "I know about your ancestry," he says bluntly. "But I still need to ask you for help."

Heh. Konatsu seems like a good kid, I guess. "I'd love to, really, but I gotta skip town."

"Ukyou-sama needs you," he insists.

"Yeah, she needs me like she needs a hole in the head," I tell him back, giving him a dirty look. "I'm no good for anyone." And the last thing I need is someone who used to be my best friend telling me off. Akane's distance was bad enough, but Ucchan's got a temper, too.

"Ranma-sama," Konatsu says, sounding like he's about to cry, "Ukyou-sama has rejected me. I can't help her anymore ... and she needs someone."

"I'm sorry. She was my friend, Konatsu. She was. But honestly? She's a hell of a lot better off without me dragging her down."

Konatsu doesn't say anything for a moment, then he sighs. "I can't do anything to convince you? If I thought it would do any good, I'd..." And then he puts on a girly act that makes me want to gag - mostly because after you think about it, he's good at it. And that's creepy, because while I can turn into a girl, he's still a guy. Anyway, he's all making like to get undressed, and he says, "I would give you my body, Ranma-sama."

"Don't want it," I say quickly, waving a hand to stop him. "I'm sorry, Konatsu, I don't think you know how much trouble I'd cause if I tried to talk to Ucchan right now."

"If..." Konatsu stops pulling off his kimono and sighs. "Well, there's an abandoned construction site a few blocks from Furinkan. They ran out of money. If you're looking for a place to stay for a while, and be hidden, it may work."

And then Konatsu stands up and walks to the edge of the roof. He looks back at me and says, "Good luck, Ranma-sama."

"You too, kid," I say.

Where the hell did that come from? 'Kid'?

But he smiles, then jumps off. For a second, I feel sick - Ukyou just told him off, and I said I wouldn't talk to her. He didn't take it _too_ hard, did he? But no, when I look over the edge of the building, he's running down the street.

That's why, when the sun sets, I find myself huddled for warmth at the base of the building Konatsu told me about. The walls they use to keep people out block the wind pretty well, so it makes for decent shelter - but you gotta get up early to avoid the people who show up in the morning.

So it's not a bad place to camp, and it is pretty out-of-sight. But why am I there?

It's the kind of thing you wonder about after the fact, but even when I was going there I kept telling myself there was no point to it...

Then I hear someone I recognize cry, and I know.

And that's why I'm there.

* * *

Author's note: To explain, 'burakumin' or 'mura-no-mono' were the descendents of those who handled the bodies of the dead or slaughtered animals, jobs traditionally considered 'unclean' during the Tokugawa period (around the 1600s to the mid 1800s). The most common job of detectives in Japan at one point in post WWII Japan was to research the backgrounds of prospective brides/grooms before weddings.

In modern Japan, this is no longer an issue, so this fic would have to be set in the 1970s. At any rate, I'm not the first to use this; credit goes to Susan Doemine for her original 'Poison'.


	5. Revel, Revelation, Revolution

Descent - Chapter Four

Revel, Revelation, Revolution

A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by Brian Randall

Disclaimers: The paints, as always, are the property of Takahashi Rumiko; I'm merely a peasant with an easel.

* * *

The first thing I figure when I wake up is that I managed to screw things up. I mean, you jump from a rooftop, you hit the ground without bracing yourself or anything, and you splat, right?

Only, that didn't happen.

Instead, I wake up in my room. Hungover, a bit, but not as bad as when I first... Well. No need to revisit that ass. Whoever he was.

Good for you, Ukyou. You can drag yourself back home when you're drunk and try to kill yourself. Which is good, because you can't even get the 'dying' part right.

My mouth feels like it's been stuffed with cotton, and my stomach lets me know it wants to empty itself out. Not that there's anything in it but sake. When I sit up I see that I left myself a pitcher of water and a cup, so I drink a little - that calms my stomach down a bit and gets the cotton taste out of my mouth.

I guess you do funny things when you're drunk. I set out some water for myself, but didn't even bother to undress? Then the smell of cooking okonomiyaki hits me from the kitchen, and my stomach rebels.

I run to the bathroom without looking downstairs and throw up.

Great - Konatsu came back.

Maybe I shouldn't really complain, but I have enough trouble trying to get by, and if he hadn't found me and pulled me back home, then I'd be... I'd be...

Well, anyway, it's not what I wanted.

So I wash my face, wait until the smell of cooking okonomiyaki doesn't make my stomach churn, and march downstairs to give him hell. Only the guy standing behind the grill and looking at me with the flat-eyed stare isn't Konatsu, it's Ranchan.

XXX

I figured after I caught Ucchan and she passed out that she needed help. Hell, Konatsu told me as much, so it's not like I could pretend nothing was going on. Ucchan's way too strong to just try and kill herself, right?

So, what went wrong?

"Nice to see you up," I tell her when she stomps down the stairs and then gapes at me with her mouth hanging open. "You should eat something after your little bender."

"D..." And she half sits, half falls onto one of her little stools across the grill from me. Funny, things look different from this side, but I guess it's how she usually looked at me when I think about it.

When she doesn't say anything else right away, I slide the okonomiyaki I made her across the counter. "One seafood special," I tell her. "Time to restock, you're getting low on ingredients."

"I only do lunches now," she mumbles, turning to stare at the okonomiyaki. "Gives me more time to myself." After another minute of blank staring, she pushes the okonomiyaki away and pulls a pack of cigarettes from her robe. She fumbles for a lighter for a minute, while I try and figure out what the hell happened. It's only been ... uh ... a month or three, now that I think about it. I mean. I haven't _seen_ Ucchan since ... I almost married Akane.

And that's something that shakes me a bit. I didn't think about it, because I don't want to. I kept thinking for a long while that I'd talk to her, we'd somehow get back together.

Huh. Back together. Like we were ever that together in the first place.

"You know," I say conversationally, "you look pretty lousy, Ucchan."

"Don't call me that," she says, almost reflexively, taking a deep drag of her cigarette before she stubs it out on the grill and leans over her okonomiyaki, shooting me an angry glower. "And what the hell do you think you're doing here? Shouldn't you be with that stupid bitch you abandoned me for - again?"

"She doesn't seem to need me right now," I snap back.

"Oh, and I do?"

"Well, unless you're practicing some obscure form of drunken martial arts that involves throwing yourself twenty stories down, yeah, I think you do," I say bluntly. "Even if you _do_ think I'm dirty. It's not like anyone else has to know."

That makes her stare at me. "What?"

"Yeah, whatever," I mutter back, crossing my arms over my chest. "I may be dirty, but did I foul your grill so bad that you put out a cigarette on it? I mean, come on, Ucchan. We were _friends_ once." And I realize that as sad as it is, I'd like that back. Even though without her interference, I would have been married to Akane.

Married to Akane before she found out, and then where would we be? Mom knew, and still split up with Pops once that came out. Would Akane do the same?

She blinks and stares at the butt on the grill, like she just noticed it. "Damn." Then she shakes her head and stands, like she's gearing up for a big argument. "Friends, Ranchan? _Friends_? Is that why you abandoned me?"

"Hey, you gave up on you," I tell her. "I didn't."

She looks like I just slapped her, and slams her palms onto the counter. One of them lands right in the middle of the okonomiyaki I just made her. "Where were you?" she screams at me. "Where were you when I needed you?"

"Catching you from a long fall," I shoot back.

"That's not what I meant, Jackass! Why did you invite me to your engagement party, and not even tell me off? Why did you just fucking _forget_ about me?"

I don't have a good answer for that one. "I fucked that one up," I admit, looking away.

"You got that right," she grumbles. "Jackass."

"Well," I say, shrugging. "I saved your life. I should probably go now."

XXX

Everything always happens all at once. Weeks of nothing, and now all of the sudden he's back. And just as fast, he's going back to Akane. "I hope you and your bitch have a happy life," I snarl at him, shaking the sauce off my hand. "Try not to abandon your kids like you did me."

And then he flinches, which is funny. I've been trying to get through to him and try to make him hurt as bad as he hurt me, and nothing else worked. Why that? But I'm pressing the advantage, not thinking about it.

"I know that's what you're good at-"

"I'm my father's son, but that doesn't make me him," he snaps back.

"What the hell does that mean?" I ask. "You're trying to pass that off onto him? Pretend that you're all pure and innocent, and it's _his_ problem?"

"That was the plan," he says, furrowing his brow. "I mean, it'll be easy. Change my name, avoid people I know ... Pops taught me that much."

I can only stare at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I finally ask.

"Well, I'm getting yelled at by someone who I just saved, who _used_ to be one of my best friends, but it turns out that she's judging me just because my father's buraka. Oh, yeah, I'm sure I shouldn't be surprised, but somehow I thought friendship was worth more than that."

I sit back down shakily, wiping my hand on my robe. "Wait, you're... You're mura-no-mono?"

He stares back at me like the idiot he is. "You mean, you didn't know?" he asks.

I scratch my head, probably getting sauce in my hair - but I don't care about that at the moment. I need a cigarette, so we stare at each other until I get another one lit. "I know now," I say quietly.

"Right," he says with a frown. "What the hell are we arguing about?"

"I'm not sure."

Mura-no-mono. That does explain why his father always went off towards the buraka village when we played as kids, I guess. Father didn't mind, and we used to sell okonomiyaki to them in the summer when he was sure no one else would see and judge us. But it still seems kind of out-of-the-blue.

"W...well. Anyway. I should go." He moves towards the door.

I'm desperate, and sad, but this whole thing is too messed up to just let him leave. "Wait!"

He stops and looks at me. "Yeah?"

So we stare at each other for a while, until my cigarette burns down. This one I toss into the sink - I have to get an ashtray. "Y...you still owe me."

He gives me that level stare. "You don't care about me being mura-no-mono?"

"No, it's _abandoning_ me that I care about, you ass!"

He flinches. "Hey, I, uh... I made a deal with Nabiki. I'd take care of Shampoo, and she'd..."

"Take care of me?" I ask acidly. "That worked out really well. Did you even know I was at your engagement party?"

Big flinch from him on that one. "No," he says quietly. "I was hoping you'd be there. That you'd... That you'd be okay with it."

"D...damn," I say, before I can't help myself and start crying again. I can't even hate him - he's not malicious, just stupid. "You _coward_! Don't even have the balls to tell me to my face?"

He looks about as torn up as I feel, so there's that, at least. "I didn't want to hurt you! I just wanted everything to work out!"

"Well good for you," I sniffle, since the tears won't stop. "You're just selfish and a coward, and and... Just go back to Akane already!"

He turns around and bows his head. Not that he can meet my eyes when I'm crying. "Maybe I am," he says shakily. "No... That's not it. I _was_. But I'm here now, and I'm trying to face up to my screw-ups. You're right, Uch-" He slumps. "Ukyou. I do owe you."

"Oh? _Now_ you want to make things up to me? Isn't it a little late, now that I'm..." But I stop there, and start crying harder, too much to talk. I gave myself away and became a dirty, filthy... And he was buraka all that time... And...

It turns out that there's not really a limit to how stupid you can feel, after the fact.

"You're what?" he asks softly.

"Dirty," I croak out between sobs.

He snorts. "You don't got nothing that water and soap won't fix. Now do you want me to do something for you, or leave, already?"

I guess, compared to him being mura-no-mono, me being a slut doesn't really count for much. A moment of weakness hits me. That's the only reason I could say what I do. "Can you take care of me?" I ask in a small voice. I'm really messed up right now, I know that. I guess it should be pretty damn obvious - I tried to kill myself.

"You want me around?" he asks, turning to look at me again. And though Saotome Ranma, man among men would never admit it, I can see that he's been crying, too.

XXX

So, we're staring at each other for a while, and she croaks out, "Akane won't take you, will she?"

"Low blow," I answer. "Isn't it obvious? Hell, I thought you'd be more uptight than she was."

"Low blow," she replies shakily.

I give her the best smile I can manage - it's probably fake as all hell. "Yeah, okay. My bad. If... I'll take care of you, sure. I guess you need a new Konatsu, huh?"

"That's not what I need," she mumbles, looking away. "Just... I gotta get my head straight."

"Yeah. That's cool." I guess we could both take some time to do that. I spent a lot of the last few weeks running from things more than thinking about them. "I can stay here?"

"'Course," she says, staring at the ruined okonomiyaki I made her. "Um. Thanks."

I take it away before she can try to eat it. "Lemme make you another one, Ukyou."

"S...sure."

XXX

So Ranchan can cook. Not as good as me, but better than Konatsu. And he agrees to take care of me, so that leaves me ... where, exactly?

I don't know, but I know that he's got a long way to go before everything between us is square again.

After I finish eating, Ranchan - I mean, Ranma. Ranma cleans up and I go for another cigarette. But the pack is empty. "I thought I had more," I say, searching around the grill for a spare. But I don't find one, and when I look at Ranma, he's just got this vaguely superior smile.

"What did you do?" I ask him. "Where are my cigarettes?"

"Smoking is bad for you," he answers with a shrug.

"You stole them, didn't you?"

"I'm supposed to be taking care of you, aren't I?"

What a jackass!

"Oh, whatever," I snap. "You smell like the road. Go take a shower or something, I need to do some shopping."

He shrugs and goes to wash up. While he's gone, I take some money from the register and walk down the street to the corner market. The guy behind the counter won't sell to me, but there's a vending machine just out of his line of sight, so I've never had a big problem with it.

I buy three packs, figuring if Ranma's going to be a smartass, I'll just hide the other two somewhere. I get back and he's still in the shower, so I light up another one and start cleaning the grill. Sad as it is, Ranma was right. Putting a cigarette out on the grill ... what was I thinking?

But I used to take good care of it, so it cleans up nice. Ranma comes downstairs just as I finish, freshly washed and wearing pajamas. "Tired already?" I ask, tapping my cigarette out into the sink.

"Only clean clothes I had left," he answers. "'Cept some girly stuff. I'm using your washing machine. Hope you don't mind."

That's not what would bother me. "Whatever. Tell me what's happened to you since your engagement party."

XXX

It takes a while to explain everything, and it's not like I had anyone else to talk to about the entire thing. There's a little editing in what I tell her, because I'm still trying to get things straight in my own head. So I kind of don't talk about Akane that much.

"...and I know. And that's why I'm there," I finish, shrugging. "After that, I caught you, you were passed out, so I carried you back here and..." And what? I hadn't really thought things out.

"Oh," is all she says for a while, though she pulls her cigarettes from her robe. It takes me a minute to snag all but the one in her hand, but she doesn't notice. I'm getting pretty good at stealing stuff.

As she lights up, she glances at her pack and rolls her eyes. But she doesn't actually tell me to stop. I think I would, if she wanted it. But she doesn't. So she's at least letting me do my best.

As a compromise, I don't take the packs she thinks she hid under the grill. I'll let her get one or two from each before I go after them. Besides, it's better practice for me anyway.

"So, your turn," I say. "What's this about you being dirty? What did Nabiki do, exactly?"

She doesn't meet my eyes, or smoke. She just stares at the glowing tip of her cigarette. "I got really drunk," she says quietly. "Picked up some bad habits. Spent a long time feeling sorry for myself."

I get the idea she hasn't actually stopped yet. But really, who am I to judge? "And Konatsu?" I know something happened there, but what it is could be anything.

She flinches and gives me a look I can't quite read. "We fought," she says.

I tell her everything, and she just gives me a few lines. That doesn't seem that fair.

"Let me make you the old special," she says suddenly, looking at her freshly cleaned grill.

It's been a while since I ate, so I just nod and watch her cook. She's a little rusty, but too skilled to lose it all. It takes a minute or two for her to get back to where she was, then she flings me an okonomiyaki.

"It's good," I tell her once I taste it. It is, too.

"You know," she says, staring at the grill, "once, I thought you were going to marry me. I mean, I really believed that you meant it when you said I was cute. You don't have any idea how much I loved you, do you?"

My first reflex is to tell her what I've been keeping back - that I love Akane. That I loved Akane? No... I still do, even though I know it doesn't matter now. Instead of being a jerk about it, I say, "I think I'm starting to get it."

"Are you?" she asks looking up.

"You felt," and then I pause. She threw herself off a building. Is it _that_ much different from the plan Pops gave me? Run away from all my problems with a new name? "You felt like things were so bad that there was no reason to stick with them," I say. "So why not find a way out, any way at all? After all, you put your heart in someone's hands, and they just dropped it, huh? You thought- You thought you had love, and you actually didn't matter."

"Yeah," she says tightly, tears in her eyes again.

Damn, I'm an ass.

"You did just..." Then she looks away, wiping at her tears with her sleeve. She takes an unsteady breath. "You caught me," she admits. "But I don't know if that's a good thing. You don't actually love me."

Figures. She wants someone to love, and I just wanted someone to talk to. But for the time being, we've got each other.

Ugh. How sappy does that sound?

"You're a mess," I tell her. "Your grill cleaned up nice. I bet you will, too. Why not take a shower and see if you feel better? I'll clean up the rest of the place." Not that it'll need much work. It's just dusty, really.

"Jackass," she says halfheartedly. "Yeah. Okay." She goes to the stairs and looks at me over her shoulder like she's going to say something. Instead, she just sniffles and shakes her head, then leaves. A second later I hear running water, and I get to work cleaning.

It doesn't take long to get the dust off the walls and counters, then I shake the tatami out the back door and flip it over. Good as new. Kinda.

But she takes a bit longer to wash up - I listen at the door for a second to make sure it sounds like washing and not, I don't know, like she slit her wrists or something. Then I've got nothing to do. I practice juggling some of her spatulas while I wait.

When she comes downstairs, she's wearing some of my girly stuff - a skirt and a blouse. Kind of small for her, so I make a face. "Why are you dressed like that?"

She blushes, tugging at the hem of her skirt. My skirt, I guess. "I'm trying to clean up," she says defensively. "I haven't done my laundry in too long, and your stuff was in the wash." After a moment of pause, she adds, "I switched it over to the dryer for you."

"Thanks." I wonder if I'll owe her for that one?

"Ranma," she says slowly, staring at her feet, still frozen at the bottom of the stairs. "Can you... Can you make me a promise?"

Another one? "I said I'd take care of you, as long as you need me around," I tell her.

"I don't... I really don't need another Konatsu," she mumbles quietly. "And I guess I was stupid to expect what I did from you before. You just wanted us to be friends, and, and..." She licks her lips and swallows, raising her face to look at me.

You know, I thought Ucchan was cute, and that wasn't something I said to get out of a pounding. Well, not just that, anyway. I used to think of her as a guy, until I found out the truth. Then I thought she was a friend, and didn't really think about how girly she could be. That too-short skirt and too-tight blouse make it hard to ignore.

The thing is, the look right now isn't 'cute', exactly. It's vulnerable, like she's one big weak spot, afraid of the next hit coming towards her. When we were yelling at each other over what went on before, it didn't make me feel like as much of a jerk as seeing her like that ... all girly and sad. What did I do to you, Ucchan? I really have a long way to go to make things up.

"I can make you a promise," I say quietly. "I owe you, Ucchan, and I'm not stupid enough to think that just cleaning your place is going to make it all even." And then I ask the question that's been nagging at me for a while: "What _can_ I do for you?"

"R...right now, I think you're right," she says, and I see fear in her eyes. "I think we should be friends. Y...you're not a servant or anything like that."

"So, what, you don't want me to clean?"

She blushes at that, and even manages a genuine-looking smile. Good for you, Ucchan. That makes me feel a little better. "I don't mind that," she says. "Just, promise me you'll always tell me the truth? Don't let me... Don't let me think something that's not going to happen will. I..." And her eyes go to the floor. "I could screw up again too easy, I think."

"I'll always tell you the truth," I promise her.

XXX

And after he says that, I'm not sure where things are going from there. But it doesn't really matter, because that's when someone knocks at the door. I don't even have to say a word; he just kind of shrugs, gives me that crooked smile, and fades away from sight.

Literally. I was staring at him, he got kind of slippery to look at, and ... poof. Neat trick. Seems like something he probably got from his father, too.

Things had actually started getting better. Not that it takes a huge leap to go from 'suicide attempt' to 'better', I guess. Of course, that meant it was time for something to go wrong.

When I open the door, it's none other than my good 'friend' from the night of Ranchan's engagement party. "What do you want?" I say before I can think of anything else.

He looks me over, the same way he did when I was drunk ... only this time I think I see it for what it is. "Business calls," he says with a shrug, smiling. "But I knew I could track you down. I didn't mean to leave you behind."

"Yeah, right," I mutter. "I don't think I want to talk to you. Ever."

"Oh, don't be like that!" he protests, giving me another of his smiles. What, does the jerk practice in front of a mirror or something? "I forgot, and I sincerely apologize. But I've found you again, and I think it's time to discuss your movie career."

"M...movie career?" I ask. I mean, who wouldn't? He wasn't just saying that to get me to sleep with him?

"Absolutely," he says with a nod. "Mind if I come in?"

He walks past me before I can really answer, and against my better judgment, I let him. I mean, Ranchan's still here somewhere, right? So what could go wrong? "Yeah."

"Nice outfit," he tells me, eyeing Ranchan's too-small clothes on me. "In fact, you could use them in the next piece I'm casting."

I look down at it. It's nothing remarkable, as far as I can tell. "Isn't there... Isn't there an audition, or something?"

"You passed that one with flying colors," he says with a nod. "Even if it was your first time. You've had a bit more practice since then, right?"

And that's...

That's when it all comes together for me. "That movie that was on when you went into the shower," I say slowly. "You made that one?"

"Directed, produced, and scripted," he says proudly. "I don't act. Anyway, you're a young, fresh face, you're in stellar physical condition, and you've got that undeniably innocent cuteness thing going on. You'll be making money hand-over-fist in no time."

"Oh."

"We can start with something soft if you're nervous. A few beach scenes, maybe some massage oil... One thing, you're going to need to learn how to learn to use your mouth. The guys eat that up. You look innocent enough that-" He may have tried talking after that. I'm not sure, because I just sock him as hard as I can.

Some martial artist. That was a crappy punch, one even Gosunkugi could have avoided. But my 'friend' has a weak jaw and no defense, so he flies back to the middle of the street. "I never want to talk to you again!" I yell at him. "Go away you ... you ... filthy, disgusting ... pervert!" Haha... Sorry, Akane. Going to borrow your epithet for a while, 'cause I ran into a real one.

He sits up, his suit all dirty from the street. He wipes the blood from his lip where I split it and gives me a look like it's nothing new. "If you change your mind," he says, climbing to his feet and flinging me a business card. "When you find yourself needing the money ... I'll be there."

Then he smiles, and I feel cold and dirty again.

I look at the card I caught reflexively, but don't even read it. I just crumple it up and go back inside, locking the door behind me. "Damn it," I swear, eyes tearing up.

There really is no limit on feeling stupid. I think I would have been happier if he was just lying to get me to sleep with him, not trying to... I feel sick.

I sit down behind the grill and take a cigarette from one of my hidden packs.

Ranma reappears where he was, doesn't look like he moved at all. He just stares at the grill between us.

"What do you want?" I snap. Not that I should be angry at him. This one was all me.

He halfway shrugs, then meets my eyes. I'm not sure what I see there, but I end up looking away first. "Can I have one of those?"

I snort and almost toss him the pack, but... "No," I tell him, staring at my own cigarette. "These things are terrible for you."

"Oh," he says quietly. "Well, I'm going for a walk."

And poof, Ranma, master of not being there, isn't.

I mutter a, "Jackass," I don't even feel, and try to make myself read the business card that my 'friend' gave me. Only, the thing is, I can't find it.

Must have thrown it away already...

XXX

Ucchan never told me exactly what did happen, but I was getting more and more of the picture. This 'producer' guy really nailed it home for me.

It's one thing to listen to Ucchan say, "You abandoned me!" and then see her trying to kill herself. It's something else to see the guy she messed up with, and realize, "Hey, that's my fault." Sounds messed up ... but I caught her when she jumped. I wasn't anywhere but ... with Akane when she ran into that jerk.

I mean, I could blame Nabiki, I guess, but I was the one who didn't know how to 'deal' with Ucchan. Yeah, I think Ucchan nailed it when she said I was selfish. Maybe this whole buraka thing will actually help me out - I can become a wandering martial artist. Go around the world, traveling anonymously and righting wrongs.

Hell of a lot more noble than Pops plan, isn't it?

It's a start, I guess. It's _something_, which I think I need.

XXX

So me and my cigarettes, and my sake, and no Ranchan, or ... or whoever that guy was. And once Ranchan vanishes - literally - I start wondering if I'll even see him again. It'd be simple for him disappear forever.

And I haven't been nice to him since he came back. He wanted a friend, and I've been pretty bitchy to him. Part of me says it's warranted. Part of me says I'm too alone to risk that.

It's not like I have any real friends at all, unless I count Ranchan... And I guess I do. I keep calling him Ranchan instead of Ranma, even if it's just in my head.

So I look for wisdom in the bottom of a bottle while he's gone, because I don't know if he'll come back. And I realize that I can't do it alone. I've done something to myself, fell too hard ... and I need a hand up. He was offering that to me ... and does it go away when he finds out how I was used?

Am I too dirty for a buraka like him to want to be friends with?

"Heehee..."

Guess not. "Ranchan?" I ask the dark restaurant. How long have I been sitting here anyway?

"'S me!" he slurs. His girl-side voice, though. "I'm here!"

Oh, kami. He sounds smashed. I know I've been drinking, but I've built up a tolerance. I'm tipsy, at worst. But Ranchan sounds pretty far gone.

Then he appears in front of me, standing on the other side of the grill. And ... not only is he a girl, he's _dressed_ like a girl. And he looks like crap.

His blouse is torn, his skirt is ripped... I take a step back in my head and try to look at him as though he were a girl - all the way.

She looks like she just got raped. "Oh, kami. Ranchan, what happened?"

Ranchan looks down at himself and rolls his eyes. "Nothin'," he says with a shrug. "Nothin'. Heehee!"

"Sit down," I order, standing up and pointing at one of the stools.

He pouts, but does what I say, and I hit the light. Under brighter illumination, it's not as bad as it looked, but some things are kind of funny. Ranchan doesn't usually wear girl's underwear, but I can see that he is, now.

I come around the grill and sit next to him. "Tell me what happened."

He looks thoughtful, then grins. "Nope!"

Alright. Change of tactics. I reach across the counter for the sake bottle. "Want something to drink?" I waggle it in front of him.

"Sure!" Yeah, he's smashed, he grabs for it and misses when I pull it back.

"Okay! But you need to tell me a story, first."

He makes a face, but nods. "Okay, okay," he agrees. "Which one?"

"What happened to you after you left here, Ranchan?"

"Aw, Ucchan, it ain't nothin' important," he protests, giving me a girlish-looking pout. Oh-so-girlish.

I waggle the bottle.

"Aright, aright," he grumbles. "I followed that... That jerk guy. Thought I'd deal with him."

"Did he take advantage of you?"

Ranma plucks the bottle from my shaking hands and takes a hearty swig before pushing it back into mine. "Hell no!" he says with a giggle. "He thought he did, but he was wrong, wrong ... wrong!"

Aw... His girl-side has a pretty singing voice. Heh. He's going to be so pissed when I tell him _that_ when he wakes up. "That's good, Ranchan! Now, did you hurt him?"

"Naw," he says. "Hey, you gonna drink that?"

I pass it back and he takes another hearty swig before returning it. I get the idea that I might want to drink with him, just to protect him from drinking too much. When he reaches for it, I take a gulp myself. "So," I say, holding it out of his reach. "What did you do?"

"I led him on," Ranchan says with a big grin. "Let him think he was gettin' me all drunk and stuff."

Another exchange of the bottle ... maybe I'm drinking kind of fast - things are starting to spin. But I _have_ to get this story. "And then?"

"I got him to leave the club with me," he says. "And I say... I say..." He shakes his head. "Can't s'plain it."

My voice shakes a bit. "Can you show me?"

"Suuuure," he slurs, grinning. "You're dressed for it."

Well... I didn't want to be wearing a skirt after that little argument with the jerk. And of course, Ranchan's guy clothes were all that was clean and not girlish. Mine were still being washed.

"So, yeah. Um, pretend I'm him," I say cautiously. "Just don't do anything to me you wouldn't want to do to a friend, right?"

"Heehee!" Ranchan nods and swipes the bottle from me. It's empty, though, so he sets it on the counter and stands upright in a wide stance that shows off his panties through the rips in his skirt. The boys in Furinkan would kill for a picture of this, but I'm not sure I like it so much.

And suddenly, it's like Ranchan is even more drunk. He hops right into my lap, arching his back enough to strain the buttons across his chest, his eyes glowing with energy. "Oh, Producer-san, what do we need a hotel for?" He traces a finger down from my ear, across my jaw, and then down my throat, pausing only at the neckline of the Chinese shirt I'm wearing. "Come on," he breathes huskily, nuzzling my cheek when I stiffen. "Lets do it right here!"

"R...Ranchan!" I manage. This is too much- way too much- for me to handle right now!

Ranchan pops out of my lap in the same motion. He takes one of my hands and places it where his blouse is torn. "So," he says, suddenly more sober again, "he grabs here," instinctively, I grab, getting a handful of cloth. Ranchan pulls away just right, and the blouse tears even more.

Then he's back to the drunk-act - and I'm impressed. He's got no poker face, but he can do 'drunk'. "Oh, Producer-san! So naughty!"

He puts a hand on the skirt - one of my hands. The act repeats, and there's another tear. Then he leans close, his nose almost touching mine, his breath warm on my face. For a second, I think he's going to kiss me. "Mmm... You know what really turns me on?" he purrs.

"W...what's that?" I choke out. This is unreal!

"I like guys who can catch me." He moves in like he's _really_ going to kiss me, and I'm too frozen to stop him. But he falls short, pulling back. Against my better judgment, I lean towards him. What the hell's wrong with me? But he's just out of reach, and I'm pulled to my feet.

Back to sober ... well. Back to less drunk again. "Let's run!" Ranchan takes two steps away from me and looks thoughtful. "Ya know ... there's a U.S. Navy base in Yokohama?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" I ask, confused.

"Later," he says with a wink. "So now you chase me. We run all over. I get my clothes all torn up." He goes to tear his skirt even more, then realizes how thrashed it is, and ends up standing there like a fool, holding up the hem and flashing me his panties.

Yeah. Ranchan's panties. Pink, with red hearts that have little tiny 'R's in them. Where does he find this stuff? And why am I _looking_ at his girl-side, anyway?

Ooh. Forget the boys at Furinkan - trained monks would be drooling over him right now.

"Anyway," he says, dropping his skirt and swaying. "We run, we run ... whenever it seems like he's going to give up, I give him a little boost..." He winks, moving towards me and pressing his body against mine for a second - this is not the story I was expecting. He pulls away before I can grab him.

"And then we end up in the naval base, and I sing a different song." He giggles.

"What? What did you do?"

"Um, hang on..." Ranchan furrows his brow for a second, then releases a startled, agonized sob and spits out some English. It takes my brain a minute to work through the alcohol and Ranchan's antics to sort out, "Help! This man is trying to rape me!"

My eyes go big. "You _didn't_!"

"I sure as hell did," Ranchan says proudly. "Didn't lay a finger on him!" He frowns. "Well. 'Cept that one."

"Which one?"

He pulls up to me, tracing a finger from my ear to my collar again. Somehow, the ties on Ranma's Chinese shirt have come undone, and he goes a bit lower before pulling away with another fit of giggles. "Hehehe! You're as red as my hair!"

"S...stop toying with me!" I protest. "Anyway, what happened next?"

He waves a hand like it's not important. "Aw, that. He was tired from all th' runnin', couldn' make it more 'n a block 'r two further by then. I just got 'im through the gate an' inta the base when I started yellin' ... sneakin' him through the gate was the only hard part. Then about fifty huge guys in Navy uniforms came out an' swarmed 'im." Another giggle. "Was awesome."

"Y...you... Why did you do that?"

"F'r you," he says blandly, his smile vanishing. "You was always prettier when you smile. That guy took your smile away. 'Kane won't smile for me anymore, so wanna make sure you're okay."

He sways a bit, and I step towards him and catch him before he can fall. His eyes are teary. "Pop's an' me screwed up lots. I ain't gonna be like that. Wanna fix things." He starts sniffling then. "Made things real bad for you, Ucchan. I'm real sorry."

"You're _drunk_," I tell him.

"But I gotta do the right thing!" he protests, trying to get away.

Not this time, Ranchan. I hold him tight. "What you did was really, really, really stupid." Stepping back with my hands on his shoulders so he stays steady, I look into his eyes. They're beautiful when he's a girl, shining and blue ... filled with tears, they remind me of the ocean we played by as children. "Thank you." And, okay, yeah, maybe I was making out like I was more sober than I was.

I mean, why else would I kiss him?

His lips are soft, and he kisses me back. Hesitantly at first, but then he gets into a bit more. I hug him tightly, he hugs me too... In the back of my head, I think it's sad that he wasn't my first kiss. And hey, I wasn't his.

But then ... this is kind of a first. I doubt he's kissed a girl as a girl before.

And that's when I break the kiss off.

"What was that?" he asks, looking shell-shocked.

"You don't know anything," I tell him. "Let's get some hot water and go to bed."

"Uh..."

"Oh, no, little girl," I tell him when he starts to look nervous. "You think you can lead a guy like me on like that and walk away?" I try and make it look like I'm standing up straight, so my chest doesn't stand out and I can look more boyish.

He laughs at me.

I'll never have a guy act that can match up to his girl act, but that's okay by me. I grab the kettle and smack his rear, herding him up the stairs with a yelp.

XXX

It's nice to wake up in a warm bed. And I haven't shared a bed with Ucchan in ages. I mean, since we were kids. Then, of course, I thought we were both guys, and didn't think about it that much.

And when I wake up this time, I don't sweat it so much, either. Most of last night got blurry after I got back from dealing with that 'producer'. And ... I think I let my guard down. I know Ucchan and I drank a bit more, before I hit the big fuzzy spot.

Not sure how it got to me being in her bed ... but we're both girls, so I don't figure it's anything bad. My clothes are all missing, but I tore the girly stuff apart to bait that sleazebag anyway.

Ucchan sits up next to me, and she's not wearing anything either. How did that happen?

She blinks a few times and stares at me. "I am never drinking again," she groans, falling back to the futon and pulling the covers up over her eyes. "Clean up. I want the next go at the shower."

"You got it," I answer.

And a warm shower is just the thing. Lets me feel more like myself and wonder what the hell happened. But ... Ucchan's not angry at me. At least, I don't think she is. I hope she isn't.

After I wash, I dress and put the last of Ucchan's stuff in the dryer. Then I go downstairs and clean the mess up. Just a handful of bottles, so not much of a mess, I suppose. I leave the back door open to let the smell of smoke out ... then remember to steal one of the packs she's got left and toss it into the trash out back.

By the time she finishes her shower and comes downstairs, I've already got the grill going and serve up an okonomiyaki for each of us. "What a hangover," she says, lowering herself to a stool and rubbing her eyes as I shut the grill off. "And what a night."

"Uh, last night?"

She looks up at me. "I guess I should trust you," she says with a weak smile. "You wouldn't let me splash you, even when we were both drunk."

"Oh," I say with a nod. I don't even remember what she's talking about. But she's happy, so I'll go with it.

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Shoot." I sit down and take a bite of my okonomiyaki.

She looks nervous. "Did you and Akane ever do it as girls?"

It takes a bit of pounding from her to get me to breathe around the okonomiyaki I tried to inhale. "No! We never even... We never even did it!" Then it hits me, and I feel my face turn red. "D...did _we_?"

"You mean, you were too drunk to remember?" she asks me, turning red, too.

"Uh..." Oh, yeah. I'm in trouble now.

She starts laughing though. "It's better that way," she decides. "We shouldn't make that kind of decision while drunk anyway, right? If we were both girls, it doesn't really have to count."

"Yeah, okay," I agree.

Wait. We woke up together. There were no clothes.

Huh.

Somehow, I thought it'd be more memorable.

"Y...you really are a friend to me," she says quietly. "Isn't it like that song we had to study for Hinako-sensei's class?"

I spend a minute trying to remember.

"If you'll be my bodyguard," she reminds me with a giggle, "I can be your long-lost pal."

Then it comes back to me. "I can call you Betty, and Betty, when you call me, you can call me Al." Yeah, I guess that does kind of fit.

"Listen ... uh, I'm sorry about last night. That was, uh, I don't know. I guess I shouldn't drink." Still have that bottle of sake Pops gave me stashed away, but I think it could wait a long time before I open it. "A...anyway, what I want to say is that, if that's what you want, I will try to take care of you."

"You can't do that forever," she says, lowering her gaze to the grill. "I mean ... you've got your own life, after all."

I want to ask her what life, when there's a knock at the door. I vanish. Thanks for that much, Pops.

And then I hear her voice and it hits me like a ton of bricks. I get out the back before I drop the Umisen-ken, but still. "Ukyou-san?" Akane asks through the door. "Are you there?"

XXX

So, like I thought, everything does pretty much have to happen at once. I'm still trying to figure out what I feel about Ranchan and me sleeping together. The first thing I wanted to do was hit him - hard. But ... he didn't do anything wrong.

I guess I shouldn't drink, really. But that, everything else ... and then Akane drops by. Just what I needed.

So, I open the door. If I were thinking more clearly, I probably would have pretended I wasn't home and went out looking for Ranchan.

Instead, Akane steps in and says, "Ukyou-san? Are you... Are you alright?"

And it's like there's a message in her eyes, and the weirdest thing is ... Ranchan didn't talk about her, but I thought he was broken up because she wouldn't touch him. Because he was mura-no-mono. But she's looking at me like she pities me. And what's she got to pity me for?

"Yeah," I tell her gruffly. I close the door and retake my seat at the stool. She looks nervously around.

"Y...you've been closed the last few days."

"Yeah."

Akane stares at her feet for a moment, then raises her head. "Ukyou-san, I think we need to talk about Ranma-san. About ... Saotome-san, too."

"Yeah?" Wonder how long I can stick with the one-word responses?

"Um... Ranma-san and I won't be getting married," she says, like it's a relief. And to think, before I screwed up and went out with that guy, those words would have filled me with joy. Now they just piss me off. All of this, everything that I went through, over _nothing_. And her reasons for it are just because he's burakumin? Damn, she _is_ a bitch!

"B...but, don't... I mean..." She bites her lip and then blurts out, "Saotome Genma is eta," like that explains it all. Lovely choice of words there, Akane-chan. Are they treasured family antiques from before the Meiji Era? "You wouldn't want to dirty yourself with someone like him." Then she babbles on about what would have gone wrong, and how my life would have sucked with Ranchan...

My life is in pieces, Ranchan's life's in pieces, Konatsu's gone, and here she is trying to tell me how much better off I am? I feel like reaching over and strangling her. Instead, I move to the other side of the grill and get a cigarette. Pity, Ranchan just tried to air the place out. But tobacco saved a Tendo's life that day, I'll tell you that much.

After one good draw, which shuts her up, I say, "Oh."

"Um."

So we're quiet for a while. I just stare at her, finish my cigarette, and flick it into the sink.

Then she says, "I... I know this has to be hard for you, so... So, I wanted to try and help out any way I could." She reaches into her purse and pulls out an envelope. "Um, this is ... for you."

Against my better judgment, I take the envelope and look inside. There's a huge stack of cash, and that's when I really lose it. I throw the envelope at her and I'm glad that I've practiced throwing spatulas as much as I have. It smacks into her nose on the flat side, sending her falling back onto her rear. Then I slam both hands onto the grill and make myself keep them there, instead of lashing out at her. It's still a bit warm from making breakfast, but not enough for me to burn myself.

"You think that _money_ is the answer to this?" I spit at her. "I'm sorry, I realize that from your viewpoint, coming from a richer family than me, not having to work for anything, you think that this will solve everything for you - but you know what? It doesn't! It doesn't even _begin_ to make up for the way your family treated me! When it's convenient, you all stayed here without even asking me. When it's not, you work as hard as you can to throw me out of your own place. Real fair, especially when you realize that your _bedroom_ is the size of my entire restaurant."

I spent some time once, thinking about that one. It's true, though, if you fudge the pantry. And the upstairs section - technically, my place is about double the size of her bedroom. But this isn't counting the bath she's got access to, the living room ... and of course, the dojo. And this is Tokyo, where land is money.

"W...well," Akane manages, catching the envelope and scrambling back a few steps. "That's... We want to apologize!"

"'We', Akane?" I ask skeptically. "You had ample opportunity to do that before, but until it came out that Ranchan was mura-no-mono, you didn't care. Then your apology comes down to, what, _money_?"

"Ranma-san," Akane says, almost reflexively.

"I'll call him whatever the hell I feel like!" I shout at her. I'd been getting really worked up over this. I didn't want to take things out on Ranma, and I wonder if I'm just using Akane as a convenient target... But hey, if she wants to apologize to me, she can take it! "And I'll tell you this much, Tendo Akane, I don't accept your apology at all! You can take that envelope and shove it right up your-"

XXX

After things quiet down, Akane takes the money and leaves. I tried not to get too close, because I think Akane might be able to feel through the Umisen-ken. But after Ucchan finishes cursing Akane out, the door opens, and I hop to the roof to look down at the street. Akane tucks the envelope of cash into her purse and starts walking stiffly.

Yeah, a verbal beating like that would hurt. Probably almost as much as getting rejected by... And I don't know how it happened. I mean, I'd been setting myself up to admit it for a while, I guess, but not actually doing it. Ucchan needs me, or at least, wants me around. Akane obviously doesn't.

"Time to right a wrong," I whisper to myself. Yeah, that one should have been in my head.

Akane pauses, and turns to look at where I was. By that time, of course, I'm gone, down the street and in front of her. She's looking the other way, so she's got every chance to turn around and look at me. I even drop the Umisen-ken, for just a moment, relying on nothing more than my own pick-pocketing skills.

Then it's back up, and I bounce across the street to look down at her. So, I'm watching her walk away with a smile on her face like it's the best day of her life, and I can't help but think ... why don't I feel guilty for that? What if Akane thinks Ucchan did it?

Well, the answer to that is obvious, I guess. She'll think that Ucchan deserved it, and her apology was accepted. So, free money. I don't need money that bad, but it seemed right somehow... And _Ucchan's_ right. Tendo may not be _wealthy_, like the Kuno family, but I've never seen him work a day in my life.

But the thing that really kills me about it is that, watching Akane leave, I realize that I'd rather be with Ukyo than her. Maybe I did find my own people, in the end. And maybe I'm more my father's son than I admit. I am getting pretty good at stealing things.

So ... I go back in and find Ucchan behind the grill, trembling. And she did a number on it, too. Punched it straight through and broke a pipe. I turn off the gas and open the back door before I drop the Umisen-ken.

Maybe I'm losing my touch; she doesn't even flinch, though she stops trembling so much. "You alright?" I ask her cautiously.

"Oh, Ranchan," she groans, covering her eyes. "I've got too much pride. I should have taken that money. It would have been enough for us to ditch this place like the bad habit it is and go somewhere else. Maybe Kyushu, or ... or Hokkaido. I like snow."

My heart skips a beat. "Us?" I ask her.

"Y...yeah," she whimpers. "You're all I've got. Unless you, you don't want-"

"Hey, as long as you need me around," I remind her. "I promised."

"Wh...what about when I don't need you anymore?" she asks me. "What about when..."

"When what?"

"I don't know." She drops her hands to her sides and stares at the shattered grill. "I need to stop drinking. And smoking. You're right, and you're looking out for me. More ... than I am. Are you looking out for you?"

I think about the money I took from Akane. "I think so."

She gives me a weak smile, but one of the good old Ucchan smiles from way back when. "D...don't let me be a burden to you. We'll just get stuck in a pit and things will get worse, and, oh, kami, how am I supposed to make enough money to get us out of here when I hate it so much, and no one will-"

So, I'm feeling pretty lucky, and figure I can get away with it. I shut her up with a kiss, and she quiets down, and just hugs herself against me. Then she stiffens. "Is that... What is that in your pocket?"

"Um... Would you believe that I was just happy to see you?"

That gets me a slap I'm pretty sure I deserved, but I can't really complain. She pulls the envelope out - thought I hid it better - and stares. "You _didn't_!"

"Sure as hell did!" I tell her. "You wouldn't believe what I did to-" I cut myself off right there. She doesn't need to know about the sleazebag.

"That's true," she says quietly.

"Wait, you know?" Ah, sweet revenge. She gets me good with a kiss this time - kind of like what I thought licking an ashtray would taste like, now that I stop to think about it. "Ugh! You gotta stop smoking, for sure!"

"Jackass! You don't know anything." She lets me go and looks around, like she'd just woken up. "Come on, let's pack. We'll tear out the grill and replace it - we can hand this place over to an agent and be out of town by tomorrow. We won't be able to afford a new place until the money comes through, but we'll be out of here!"

"Okay, I guess." Then she gives me a funny look and smacks my butt. Strange how familiar that seems ... but I get the idea everything's going to work out, one way or another, so why worry about it?

She sure doesn't seem to care that I'm mura-no-mono, and no one else will care in Hokkaido. Hell, we could set up near an Ainu settlement, and I could learn all sorts of new martial arts from 'em. This could work.

Seeing how things have gone so far ... I think I could really fall for Ucchan. I know she fell for me once before, so maybe if I'm real good, it'll happen again. It sounds like the best plan I got ... with, you know. Righting wrongs. Can't forget that part.

I think it could work. I give Ucchan a smile back.


	6. Epilogue: In Search of a Happy Ending

Descent - Epilogue

In Search of a Happy Ending

A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by Brian Randall

Disclaimers: The paints, as always, are the property of Takahashi Rumiko; I'm merely a peasant with an easel.

* * *

The happiest days of my life could not be counted on two hands. When I think about it, I'm not even sure I could count them at all. So that makes me wonder, sometimes, why I can't be happy more often.

At the time, I was too relieved that everything was working out to think ahead. I usually don't, I guess, but then, I usually don't _have_ to. Everything works out, because life is good.

Mostly, anyway.

But on the last day I thought was the happiest day of my life... That day actually worked out pretty well. It had everything I thought it should in it, and none of the things I didn't.

Oh, sure, I could look back and say, "Well, you know, he could have taken my hand a bit more quickly," or, "Kasumi could have smiled at least once," but really, it was a pretty good day. The food was good enough, my family was happy enough, and he was enough for me.

And there was no Kuno family - they didn't need to be told about anything. Saotome-san was there, and she was so gracious and polite. Her husband was well behaved. So was he, of course. And Father looked happier than he had in years.

I suppose I lied a little. I would have changed one thing, if I could have. I would have had Nabiki not look so uncomfortable. Especially since she didn't know... I still can't figure that one out, but we don't talk much anymore.

A bright day framed in a hint of mystery. A perfect past.

Sort of.

Things were good, for a while. It wasn't until we left, after he and I had both agreed to the things we had to. Not a wedding, thank the kami. I mean, I know that now, but then I was wishing for nothing so much as for it to really _be_ a wedding, and I think he did too.

Or maybe he didn't. I can't really understand him.

But we held hands, we made our promises... I've made a lot of promises to him, when I think about it. It's sad ... I don't think I've ever kept a single one of them. Maybe... Oh, it couldn't possibly matter now.

It was on the walk home, on our way to the train. After we got there ... the night was cool, but not cold. I still have the dress I wore, a white one trimmed with lace. Nabiki helped me pay for it; Kasumi helped me pick it out.

While we were waiting for the train to stop, when no one could hear anything over the sound of its brakes, he managed to wipe that glum look off his face. And that's why I think it was a good day, even though he looked nervous and uncomfortable the entire time. Because when it mattered, he came through - like he always did.

For me, anyway.

He was still holding my hand, and he turned towards me and said, "Akane-chan... Um. I ain't too good with words, and I know I mess up a lot, but I really, uh... I really lo... I really like you."

I couldn't see for the tears, but he kissed me anyway; I let him. That was the sweetest part...

And the problem with anything that sweet is that inevitably, that's as good as it gets. Right there was the peak, the very best moment. And it was the best moment because it was before everything went wrong.

When the brakes stopped screaming, he ended our kiss. That was when Kasumi yelled and pulled me away from him; I thought it was funny. Almost cute. She was afraid that we'd go too far before we were married.

Our fathers laughed, and even Saotome-san giggled a bit. He just looked embarrassed. "None of that, now," Kasumi chided, herding me onto the train like a child.

"Sorry, sorry," I said back. In the back of my mind, I was already planning where to knock on his window without waking his parents, so we could sneak out and kiss some more. But Kasumi wouldn't let go of me, and I like Kasumi too much to yank my hand away...

So that was the trip, and the entire time I was just thinking how things could get better. I wish I'd thought about how they could have gotten worse, instead. On the walk back to the house, Kasumi said nothing, just keeping me ahead and out of his reach. I wanted to hold his hand again, of course.

And I think he wanted to hold mine... But he wasn't about to go against Kasumi either. So he hung back and listened as our fathers told him all about his duties to me and the school, and how grand our wedding would be.

Kasumi just looked more and more intense and upset the closer to home we got. I started wondering what was wrong, because she was taking this far too seriously. Nabiki was keeping pace with us, but her eyes were elsewhere. Whatever was distracting her earlier was still on her mind, so she'd be no help.

So that was the rest of the walk. The finale for the good part of that day.

It was after dark when we got home, and Kasumi didn't let go of me, hauling me straight through the rear door and into the dojo. I followed, because it was Kasumi, and father followed because she said something. Saotome-san and Nabiki stopped in the living room with him and his father.

Kasumi told us when we got to the dojo. Father looked fit to burst with rage once we heard. I didn't know what else to do, so just sat there, surrounded in the pretty dress that even he had liked. Kasumi and Father discussed it quietly; she'd had plenty of time to think and plan.

So that was that.

If it had gone any further before Kasumi stopped things... If that had happened, then things would be worse. And that's why that's part of what made it the happiest day of my life. I got everything out of it - and him - that I could ever hope to. I wish he could have made me a husband, though I'd never say that around Father, or Kasumi.

But I also know that would have made things worse for me. It probably wouldn't have really helped him, anyway.

And every day since then... Since the argument, and him leaving... Every day has been a good day.

For some reason, though ... they haven't been happy. And I don't know why anymore. Kasumi is the same as she ever was, and just told me that time would make it better. Father can't discuss it without breaking down in tears.

There's no one else I can talk to about it, though. My friends at school are out of the question; why would I ever want to let them know?

So it ends up that I have to ask Nabiki for help again, except that we don't even talk anymore. We live in the same house, but she doesn't meet my eyes, even at the dinner table. She doesn't speak with Father or Kasumi very much, either. Almost every minute she's home, she's in her room.

But if Nabiki can't figure it out, maybe no one can.

XXX

Nabiki's room is exactly as it was the last time I saw it. I'm sure if I opened her wardrobe, I'd see all of my missing clothes, too ... but that's not what today is about. "Nabiki," I ask slowly, "can you help me?"

She looks disgusted. "The last time I helped you, I ended up ruining someone's life for that worthless scum," she grumbled. "So I don't think I really want to get my hands dirty like that again."

I can't imagine Nabiki ruining anyone's life, except maybe some boy she's leading on for money. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you remember," she returns in a flat tone, "when you and... When you asked me to take care of things so you could be married?"

I don't meet her eyes, this time, but I nod.

"Well, there were two problems to that, weren't there? Shampoo and Ukyou, right?"

"I ... guess," I admit, though this is the first time I've actually thought about either of them. Didn't he send Shampoo back to China? I don't remember hearing what happened to Ukyou ... though, now that I think about it, she hasn't been at school since then.

"You guess?" She sounds even more disgusted. "I can't believe- Look, I take my life seriously, and apparently more than you do. He sent Shampoo packing, but Ukyou was all me. Do you know what I did?"

I shake my head, no. Nabiki was responsible for Ukyou disappearing?

"I know a guy who makes movies," she answers. "I arranged it so that Ukyou got the brush off in the worst possible way. She'd see that you were with him, and how little he cared. This guy ... he would keep an eye out for her; I gave him a picture. Then he'd take her out and make sure she was ruined in this town."

"I don't understand," I say cautiously.

"I didn't think you would," Nabiki says sadly. Instead of saying anything else, she hands me a picture.

I almost tear it up with disgust when I see it. It's a picture of Ukyou, alright, and it's the kind of thing Kuno would want to buy. Just touching it makes me feel dirty.

Nabiki picks it up from where I dropped it. "Ukyou's hard for me to read. I just wanted a plan that was final, would resolve everything, and give you," and I know that this is a plural 'you', which makes me flinch, "the room you said you wanted."

"You shouldn't associate with the kind of people who would take such a picture," I say. Nabiki did this to Ukyou? That poor girl!

"Better him than some burakumin, don't you think?" she asks archly.

She may have a point. "Oh," I say quietly.

"Except that he's exactly _why_ I did it," she continues. "So I did this, like you asked. And for absolutely nothing. You may call me heartless, Akane, but I feel nothing but regret for what I've done. There's a thousand other ways I could have dealt with this situation, and I just chose the one that would keep things solved.

"And then he goes and lets me see that I did it all for _nothing_," she spits, glaring. "And I have to look at you every day and say to myself, 'I did that for her,' and wonder why I ever even agreed to help. I should have just let him deal with everything himself. But I couldn't, because _you_ asked."

"I'm sorry," I manage in a quiet voice. "I didn't... I guess we'd better apologize to Ukyou, then."

"Of course," Nabiki says doubtfully. "We'll just send her a 'sorry for getting you raped' card. That'll fix _everything_."

I can't help but flinch at that. "She wasn't... She didn't..." Then I swallow. "Why do you even know people like that?"

"Okay," she says with a sigh. "It probably wasn't that bad. Look, there's no bruises on her in the picture."

"I... I guess... How can we make it up to her?"

"I don't know if we can," Nabiki says glumly. "And the worst part is, if I played my cards right, she doesn't even have a reason to suspect me, because there's no link between me and... You don't need to know about him. But how can I apologize without admitting what I did, and getting my head caved in with an oversize spatula?"

"Oh." I couldn't really hold that one against Ukyou. She wouldn't kill me, of course - I wasn't the one responsible. Still... Nabiki was right. We'd need to find a way to make it up to her. "I...is she alright?"

"She's fine," Nabiki says dismissively. "Still has her little shop. She mostly just sits there all day brooding. For a while, she didn't open up at all - now she opens up for an hour on either side of noon and sells lunch to businessmen, but it's a different crowd. She smokes now, for one, and keeps the place really quiet."

"Why?"

"Oh, I wonder, Akane. Are you stupid? Get with it!"

"S...sorry," I manage, flinching. "D...do you think we could ... give her money?"

Nabiki looks even more disgusted. "The worst part about that idea is that I honestly can't come up with something better," she mutters. "It'd need to be a lot of money. But that's okay ... I have what should have paid for your wedding. We can give her that, and you can let her know how much better off she is, since he was... Well."

She nods to herself like that settles it, and pulls an envelope from her drawer. It's thick, filled with bills. "Take these to Ukyou," she instructs. "First thing tomorrow morning. Tell her you're sorry she hasn't been feeling well. Let her know what happened. See if you can get her to accept this as, oh, I don't know. An apology for the rivalry between the two of you."

"But-"

"But nothing," Nabiki counters. "I think it's time you start dealing with some of the things you're responsible for."

XXX

Another day that's not as happy as it should be. After the disastrous discussion with Ukyou, I tuck the envelope into my purse and walk away. I look back at the roof of Ucchan's place for some reason. A breeze rises and swirls around me, shifting my skirt and making me shiver.

Something feels wrong ... and I know, just like I know a lot of things about martial arts...

I could see the Umisen-ken and the Yamasen-ken. I may not have grasped them as quickly as my father, but he's more than twice my age, so I think I'm actually better than him at recognizing that sort of thing. Or I will be, anyway.

So I don't need to check my purse to know that the money I just put in there is gone.

I felt so bad seeing how far Ukyou had fallen, and how sad she'd become. And somehow, even though I know that it shouldn't, it makes me smile. Two wrongs shouldn't make a right. Ukyou in that state ... the money missing ... but I think they do.

And I smile, because maybe today is the first happy day I've had in a while. Nabiki doesn't really need to know this time, does she? I can take responsibility for it, just like she wanted.

Good luck, Ukyou and...

Well.

Good luck, all the same. If they can be happy, then I think maybe I can, too.

* * *

Author's notes: What a trip.

So... I got inspiration from this fic from multiple sources, most of them other fanfictions. Especially (I imagine this is obvious) from 'Insignificant' and 'Poison'.

I spent the better part of six months combing every fic I could for all of the Ukyou-angst-scenes, or just generally depressing Ukyou-related-stuff, thinking that it was my moral duty as an Ukyou-fan to collate and condense that into a single, easily angst-ccessible source. I had one fic left to go - 'Saishu no Wakare' - when I got the phone call that my roommate and best friend had passed away.

At that, I left the project on hold for almost two years.

When I came back to it, I thought, the idea ... my 'penultimate-Ukyou-angst fic' ... it needed something different.

It needed a happy ending.

So, here's my attempt at that.


End file.
